I'm Listening
by VioletBlak
Summary: "Don, we can do this the hard way or the easy way. Its up to you", Raphael rolled his shoulders while cracking his knuckles for emphasis. Donnie was sorely aware of the lack of exits his lab offered. There was no way around this. "Her name is Emma." Don sighed. "I'm listening", Raph chuffed. 2014 Universe
1. Talk Nerdy to Me

**I'm Listening**

 **Disclaimer:** Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon and its creators. I make no profit from this work.

 **Author's Note: 2014 Movie-Verse -** Rated M for a reason! This work contains sexual content, violence, and at times dark themes that will become more developed as the story continues- you have been warned. Also, I have messed with the timetable the story is set in current time, but the guys are in their mid twenties- so the events of the movie would have happened around 2004.

The first duty

of love is

to listen.

~ Paul Tillich

 **Chapter 1: Talk Nerdy to Me**

Privacy. It was one of the only silverlinings of having to find and build a new lair. This home had been selected and constructed for adults, and not for a single father tending to four small boys. Everyone now had their own rooms and space. He not only had a lab with four walls and a heavy door, but his own room which lay on the other side of the lab from the rest of the lair. Which meant that in the ten years since the defeat of Shredder, Donnie had been spoiled in this new lair with privacy to safely carry out his work. His brothers had over time stopped barging into the lab- explosions from his more volatile experiments had proven an excellent deterrent for that, though he had lost some scales in the process.

Well, except Raphael. Raph had never really grasped the importance of leaving him to his work. Surprisingly, Raph was not one to barge in, but he was one to slip in silently. Between his focus and his headphones it made Don easy prey. Outside of terrifying Don when he realized that he was not alone Raph was actually good company in the lab. The largest turtle was usually in a poor mood, and used the lab as a refuge from their more demanding and energetic brothers. It was simple for Don to comprehend why. Don was the most predictable and even tempered of his brothers. Raph may have appeared volcanic in nature, but when left alone he was actually quiet and industrious- albeit in a harsh and brooding way. He just lacked the patience for the constant interaction of their brothers- something Donnie understood all too well.

The two could sit in comfortable silence for hours. When they developed their shop or garage this comradery became very useful. Raph was interested in working on the vehicles, and the two worked well together- often in relative silence except for the blasting music from individual headphone or from speakers. In the lab Raph often read his magazines or used one of the scavenged laptops to entertain himself.

All that said, people really didn't give Raph enough credit. Raph was the only one of his brothers who had noticed the minor differences in Don's behavior, and despite the genius' best attempts at evasion here stood the largest of the brothers demanding answers.

He had slipped up, and left his T-Phone out. Unfortunately, Raph mistook it for his, and answered. Donnie had just stepped back into the lab with a fresh cup of coffee as the events unfolded like a slow motion crash before his eyes. Her voice on the other line was soft, but Raph was silent. With surprising calm Raph hung up the phone and set it down on the table. The largest of his brothers was working his jaw like he was chewing his words before he said them.

"Start talking brainiac!" Raph barked.

Don was stock still likely from shock, or a desperate attempt to fend off his brother's next question as though he was evading a T-Rex.

"Donatello, we can do this the hard way or the easy way. Its up to you", Raphael rolled his shoulders while cracking his knuckles for emphasis.

Donnie was sorely aware of the lack of exists his lab offered. There was no way around this.

"Her name is Emma." Don sighed.

"I'm listening", Raph chuffed.

"Its a long story." Don admitted taking a seat in his computer chair.

Raph took the spare, and leaned back to comfortably scowl at his younger brother.

"I guess I will start at the beginning then", Don resigned himself to his fate.

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All four brothers had found their own way as adults. Raph found a friend in Casey Jones, April's boyfriend, who enjoyed running around with Raph to do their own vigilant activities. Leo had focused on mastering his spiritual path, and Mikey had enjoyed art, and through a contact of April actually made some money off of it. All the while fighting a slowly reviving Foot Clan that appeared to be led by Karai.

Don on the other hand already had such serious interests in technology and software that it only made sense to capitalize on it. Up until just a few years ago that focused on creating offensive and defensive items for the team. He was personally most proud of the T-Phones and the vehicles. Now, he actually earned a wage for the family with those skills.

After stopping a robbery of a computer repair store, April had worked out a deal with the owner. The man paid him very good money, and allowed him to order supplies at below retail prices through the stores account. They never truly saw each other. Their communication was through phone calls, emails, and roof top box exchange. Donnie was essentially the after hours support team for the store. He rarely had to make phone calls, and he had a better turn around for both software and hardware issues than anyone else on staff. Technically, he was being paid under the table which was the only illegal part of the deal, but they simply didn't explain the finer details to Leo or Splinter for that matter.

He enjoyed the work, and the family literally profited off of it. He never thought it would bring them trouble. However, he was wrong. He was so very wrong. In this case trouble came into his life as a woman.

Now, women were something a sensitive subject to the mutant brothers. They were young males in the prime of their lives. It was only natural to seek partners. Problem was that there were no female humanoid turtles available. That was one of the many problems with being a mutant. It was lonely. Spring was when it was worst. Four hot blooded males in a confined space with little outlet for the needs they were hard wired to act on. They had been raised in a time of pop culture, and images of human women were heavily prevalent in their development which resulted in a very one sided attraction. He also had a serious theory that they had been exposed to human DNA as part of the mutagen serum that had transformed them. However, due to the fire he had nothing to base it on other than their humanoid forms and traits. Either way, human women were not out looking for six foot tall reptiles. So, with the exception of April and the occasional damsel in distress they had no female contact.

April was strictly off limits due to her status a "hogosha". Only Mikey had attempted to cross that line. Initially, the brothers had thought it was just the antics of their youngest sibling. He was well known as a shameless flirt, but after April disappeared for a few weeks. Mikey had confided in Leo that he was the reason. The youngest turtle's feelings had apparently not gone over well with April. Mikey made a point to tell them that she had not said anything cruel, and had done her best to let him down easy, but that she had for just a moment looked at him with something that could only be described as repulsion. Those few seconds had devastated the youngest ninja. It had a ripple effect in the family. Raph was surprisingly the one who had stepped in to help Mikey move forward.

That said, it was not something they openly discussed, but they all had accepted that they would likely not find romance in their lives. Leo deflected this by living his life as a monk. Raph took a more cynical approach, but seemed unfazed. Mikey bounced back, and chose to continue on as though nothing had happened. Fortunately, April seemed content to play along. Donnie simply remained distracted with his builds, work, and research. He had never really put any investment into pining for women, and really only gave thought to the fairer sex in spring when his hormones had a say. Even then, it was solely in a sexual manner.

Thus, he was utterly unprepared for what had happened over the course of the last year. He had just started his "job" with the owner of the repair store when it happened. He had taken a box full of repairs back to the lair, and opened it to find a laptop that had been violently destroyed. The instructions had been sent via email. A young woman, Miss Emma Dalton, had just dropped it off at closing blaming the destruction on her dog. He had a good laugh at the claim- well, until he found some teeth mixed in with the shredded keys. She was specifically concerned with a single file, a paper which was due at midnight on Wednesday which left him with roughly 22 hours to see if anything was salvageable if she wanted it in on time. Then, he managed to find her hard drive was still intact, and he was able to find the file within the hour. Her ticket listed that she would like to be notified ASAP by phone or email. Since it was around 4 am he chose to email her the good news and the file.

Looking back it was his next move was the first mistake. Perhaps it was because he was bored, or he could use his chronic insomnia as an excuse for the poor decision. Either way, he opened the file. It was a very long paper. Specifically, it was a dissertation. He now understood her desperation. Dissertations were serious, and after skimming the document it was clear she had been researching this subject for a few years. The first few pages told him that she was a graduate student at Columbia seeking a masters in literature. She had chosen to highlight the roaring twenties period, and focused on the appeal of criminal life in literature and music. Specifically, she focused on how suddenly criminals were viewed as something more- even heroes. It was exceptionally well researched, and was a rather riveting read for a dissertation. As a vigilante who protected the innocent it was an interesting perspective. Some of these villains had traits he considered "robin hood-ish", so it was easy to see how they had public appeal during The Great Depression.

He had slept a few hours before the morning routine of training. Then, he returned to his lab to find that Miss Dalton had responded. She sent a elegantly worded thank you proclaiming he was a hero, and she could never repay him. It was certainly a nice response. It was better than what most humans said when he and his brothers actually saved their lives. So, he made his second mistake. He replied to the email. He offered to salvage any safe files from her hard drive. Her acceptance was immediate. He told her it would take him a week and that he would let her know when she could pick it up from the shop.

It took him a few days, but he did manage to move all her files to a safe external hard drive. However, in the process he looked at all of them. It was a very odd way to get to know someone, but rather effective. He learned they shared similar taste in music, eerily similar. The rest of her files mostly pertained to school which focused on literature and economics. He considered this the end of his research into Miss Emma Dalton, and he dropped off the external hard drive at the shop.

However, another sweetly written thank you came to his inbox the next day. He had forced himself not respond… quickly. Yet, after just a few hours he found himself staring at the email again. Then, another mistake was made by the mutant. He replied, as casually as he could, that he was more than happy to help, and mentioned that he enjoyed her taste in music. Only a few hours later he received a reply. The turtle very nearly fell out of his chair. She had asked him out… well, specifically she offered to buy him a drink if he was ever on her side of town. She claimed it was the least she could do for the man who saved her academic career. Joking about how Ivy League Universities don't take kindly to the "my dog ate my homework" excuse.

He never thought he would ever have to turn a girl down. Especially, a very smart girl who was thoughtful and polite… then, he became fully aware of how taboo this was. It was thrilling in some way speak to a woman, and to know that she had wanted to get to know more about him. Granted she would turn tail and run if she ever got a glimpse of him, but it was the still nice to know someone had noticed him. So, he politely declined saying that he rarely got out for social occasions. She had taken it in stride, telling him that if he ever changed his mind he had her number.

He had been visibly more chipper the rest of the day which his brothers noticed. Fortunately, he was able to claim it was the update for the T-phones he had finished. That had been enough to send them on their way. However, his high soon turned on him. He found himself thinking of her often. He blamed this on music. They both had taste that ran the gambit of rap, electronic & techno, instrumental classic, heavy metal, and etc. This meant that his normal routine of using music to help him focus constantly rounded his mind back to the young graduate student. Once again, it was his mistake, and it was small. He sent her a meme about the Black Keys, one of the bands they both had enjoyed. She responded with a meme for how to come to terms with being called a hipster (begrudgingly).

From there it turned into a source of amusement. When he was bored, or unable to sleep he would send her things, but somewhere between the funny images, gifs, and news headlines they began to have conversations. Asking small questions at first, and then later larger pieces of information were added. She seemed to accept that they didn't exchange images of themselves, and that she only knew him as Donnie. He became a master at telling her what his father would call half-truths. He told her he was one of four brothers. He had an adopted father who was a martial arts master. While, he carefully sidestepped the mutation section of the conversation. He could complain to her about living in a home with said father and brothers.

She in turn would complain about how even though she only had one sister she had a very close extended family. She claimed that her cousins made it their jobs to bring about chaos which she admitted would actually be entertaining if they didn't have keys to her home. He learned that her family was the opposite of his in terms of academia. Emma was the only person in her family who was not perusing her graduate studies in the realm of sciences. She could commiserate with him about being the odd one out in the family. Though being from a household of nerds did mean that she could keep up with him intellectually in a way that his brothers could not. That was one of the things that made her so perfect for conversation. She was incredibly well read, funny and sometimes downright cheeky. When he would pass into a typed rant on software, science fiction, or anything out of her depth she would send him the mischievous warning.

"I love it when you talk nerdy to me."

It was bold flirtation and it worked every time. He would stop, and back track. He was thankful that the young woman could not see his blush or hear his sputter. He usually sent her an equally snarky response, emboldened by the technology that veiled him. Months had gone by, and it was approaching spring. If asked he would openly blame his next mistake on the flood of hormones. He just wanted to get a look at the woman he spoke to on almost a daily basis through various messenger programs. She always used the basic graphics provided by those programs for her profile photos, and she simply did not exist on mainstream social media. After days of hunting he only came up with a single photo.

It was from an article from the University paper praising her work as a graduate student, and how she had finished the program that winter. The photo showed her posed in profile in front of a window with light pouring in around her. Head angled as she gaze out the pane with her hands delicately clasped behind her back and a little smirk playing on her very full lips.

The photo was in black and white which meant he could only tell that she looked fair in complexion with large round eyes that looked hauntingly light in the contrast of the full dark lashes that curved around them. A straight subtle nose and high cheekbones played to the light. Long dark hair was brushed away from her face to tumble down her back past her waist.

Teeth sunk into his lower lip as his mind tried to memorize the way that the sweater and skirt outlined the full curve of her bust which fell sharply to a slim waist then slowly flared over full hips. Due to the slight pivot in her stance he could even see that the ample curve of her backside. The skirt fell to just above her knees, but he could see that she was wearing argyle tights on her legs, and ballet flats on her small feet. He was fairly certain from the size of the window that she somewhere around five and a half feet tall. Not that he had researched the building to get an accurate height of the window or anything...

For a few moments he simply stared, dumbfounded. This was who was flirting with him. This was who he was talking to this whole time. This whole time he had been talking to a girl who was possibly the most attractive human female he had ever seen. He had never expected that. Granted he was running off the assumption that she was a graduate student, and judging by her family description from money. So, he had expected someone well put together, but … he was expecting a dorky girl. This girl did not look dorky. She looked poise and mischievous. This was Emma Dalton?!

He actually felt a little dizzy, but he continued to stare at the screen. This was an irreversible mistake in so many ways. Now, when he tried to chit chat with her online he could only think of that image. He had done this without issue almost daily for over six months, but no longer. Instead he kept imagining what she would look like typing, drinking coffee, reading. Each activity they discussed as part of their lives he now had to apply his new found knowledge to. To make matters worse with the month of March soon approaching his imagination was finding all new things for Miss Emma to do. His daydreams began by focusing on her lips.

He earned a serious crack to the skull from Raph in one sparring match from one incident. The punch had thrown him across the dojo, and his distraction had been so obvious that his father had sent him to rest. It should have made him feel sick with shame to essentially be a 25 year old who was sent to his room. Instead, the pulsing pain in his skull only brought the day dream back in greater detail of those luscious lips shaping to form his name. It was just before Raph had connected with his skull, his mind had focused on the depressing fact that he had never heard her voice. Even now his ever resourceful nature nagged him that he did have her phone number. He dragged a hand over his face, and adjusted his glasses.

He took a deep breath while his mind created a list of reasons not to call her. First, this kind of distraction was genuinely dangerous. If he were to falter the way he had moments ago while he was topside it could spell disaster for not just him, but for all his brothers. Second, if this was how affected he was by an image of her, so then it would likely only become worse if he spoke to her. The last reason was more difficult to frame with words. It rattled around in his head ever since he had seen the photo. The photo made her real, but it was something she didn't know he had done. He could keep up their cyber friendship indefinitely because it was not demanding. It was fluid and causal, and didn't have a real schedule to it.

A phone call would be different. A phone call would likely lead to more calls, and if her voice was anything like the rest of her known qualities he could trust that he would likely be the one calling her. However, unlike a casual messenger, actual speech would almost guarantee that she would push more to meet him. He would be forced to refuse, and she would give up on him without a doubt. She was a smart girl, and would see no point in pursuing him further if a phone call was the most personal thing he could offer her. So, even if he called and it goes down as the best conversation of his life it would still be the beginning of the end. The thought made him feel numb, so very numb.

He typed a quick message. Even as he sent it he knew it was possibly the most cowardly thing he had ever done. The words were brief, and purposefully lacking in detail. He lied, and told her he would be out of town with his family. He made no attempt to explain why or what it was for. Just that he would be out of contact for at least a month. A few hours later she had wished him a safe trip, and sweetly told him how greatly she would miss him.

He read the simple line of text several times before he logged out of the messenger, and uninstalled the program to be safe. The numbness was overwhelming. He felt like he was in a fog, and had no idea how long he sat at his desk motionless. When a grunt came from the doorway he visibility jumped.

"Raph?" he knew his words were stammered as he caught his balance in the chair.

Raphael stood in the doorway, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

His minds skittered for a moment while Raph leveled him with a glare. Raph had always had an "aggressive" way of showing his concern. Don settled on one of those half truths and murmured, "Its almost March."

When the larger turtle blanched he knew he was in the clear. Raphael would be a bit panicky since they were now only a few days away from the "season", and the largest turtle had always been the first to fall to the hormonal torture. For a few days he would float in and out of the lair, and they would give him a wide birth. However, after a week or so Mikey would fall in next, then it was Don's turn. Leo always managed to be last. There seemed over all very little rhyme or reason to who, why, and when each of them began and ended. Fortunately, they never overlapped by much. Even then, the whole month was something of a reclusive time for each family member to avoid sparking tempers. Training was always suspended. Splinter often spent great lengths of time away from the lair- to this day he never really knew when their sensei went. April had also learned to find other things to occupy her time.

"Shit", Raph had curse lowly as he turned to leave.

Don watched him leave, and let his head roll back in his chair. He had hoped this would be the end of it. Now he could return to his old life. One without Emma. The numbness returned to his limbs making them feel heavy. He pulled up a fresh screen, and started to type up a list of all the repairs, projects, and research he needed to work on. It had always been his coping mechanism, and he had applied it to spring each year. It never worked entirely, but it had always helped his focus.

His list worked well until mid March when his own hormones hit him like a truck. It was always such a strange revelation when it happened. This year was different though. Before it had always just been about finding release after release until the chemical warfare in his mind ended. He was used to being much more aware of his more keen senses during this "delicate" condition. However, he had never ached like this. This was so much worse.

It was as though every scale on his body was bruised. His hands felt raw and inflamed. His hearing buzzed with normally unnoticed white noise of the tunnels. His mouth and sinuses felt dry and tacky. He was still constantly aroused which made him equally irritable. Normally, he could find relief with a video or selection of photographs that were a simple Google search away. This year they did nothing for him.

Relief was only found in his sleep, and even then it was never true release. It was only blissful because his imagination recreated her there. In slumber that was only half restful at best she existed like an oasis. Her role was initially so innocent. Simply smiling at him mutely before sitting next to him in the bed. She would sweetly curve those lush lips as she stroked his cheek. She would nestle into his side while never flinching at his scales, his hands, or his shell. As the nights passed he became ever more forward to his mirage of Emma. By the end of March Donnie had a whole new understanding for the season. Thankfully, things seem to be returning to normal with the season over, but it is still a daily struggle. He misses her dearly, but he dreaded hearing from her. He had warned her that it would be a month or so, but it had now been 6 weeks.

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Everything changed one stormy night in mid-April. They were out on a normal security run, and encountered a group of Foot soldiers. They were packing dart guns, and when Mickey was hit in the final moments of the fight they assumed he would pass out. They did not realise that these had not been tranquilizer darts. Mikey had been poisoned. They only saving grace was that he had taken a few of the darts with them for further study. So, when Mikey started showing strange symptoms Don was able to change tactics.

It was 48 hours of hell. Keeping Mikey alive and responsive was his only goal. The darts he collected allowed him to use the poison to create a antidote. It had taken the better part of the first day to create it, but the antidote was not easy on the body. The whole second day was a struggle to keep his baby brother stable. Now, he was resting peacefully in his room, and would likely be fully recovered in a few days. His older brothers were managing their stress in their own ways, but both urged him to sleep. Splinter remained with Mikey now.

Everyone was relieved, but he was still addled. His hands shook slightly when he tried to use them. His nerves felt frayed from keeping one of his brothers alive for so many hours. He was in a daze when he looked up at the screen directly in front of him. It was the ticket that had been sent with Emma's broken laptop. He had saved it months ago. It was a total of five lines. One of which had her phone number. His frame swayed forward in pure exhaustion as he reached for his T-Phone and dialed the number. The line rang twice before she picked up.

"Hello… Victoria are you pulling another allnighter?", for a moment, he was content to hear her. Emma's voice was soft and sweet, and she had accent- french if he was guessing. It was light, and the more coherent she became the more it lessoned.

He heard her mewl lightly in what he guessed was a yawn. The sound was adorable, and he committed it to memory. "Ok Vicky, enough. I am going back to sleep now."

"Wait!" he managed to choke out.

He could hear the stillness on the other line before her soft and clear question, "Who is this?"

"Its Donnie", he tried to keep his voice even, but he could hear the falter in it.

The sounds of her shifting in her blankets filled the receiver. Then, in that sweet voice, "I never thought you would call." There was a note of sadness in her voice. He felt a pang of guilt. He would have never thought it would mean so much to either of them.

"I am sorry it's just… I wanted to, but …"

"I am just happy you called", that sweet voice chimed in on his frantic one. Her tone became cautious, "Is everything alright?"

"No", it was a knee-jerk reaction to the question. It was too late now, he couldn't take it back. So, he took a deep breath. "My little brother was in accident, and he is going to be ok, but it was a very close call… and I just… it made me think… that I needed to."

"It's ok", again she interrupted him. Her voice silenced him with gentle confidence. No one should sound that wonderful at 3 am. "You said he is going to be ok?"

"Yeah", he sighed.

"And you are ok?" her question was so simple. If anyone in his family had asked him the same thing he would have had a pre-set response ready to go. Yet, here he was utterly disarmed in four words. "Donnie?"

"I haven't slept since it happened", his words were a bit garbled.

"Ahh, well then my dear sir I believe you should rest", her tone was sweet and playful.

"It's not that simple." He could not tell her exactly why he was so rattled, and why he was particularly no looking forward to dreams that could be created from the combination of his nerves and exhaustion.

"I think you should try", she urged warmly. "I will stay with you. Now, just climb into bed."

He trudged across his lab into his room. He had removed his gear hours ago, so he only had to pull the mask from his face. He didn't bother moving his blankets laid face down all the while never moving the phone from his ear. "There", he huffed.

She giggled. It was a hushed bubbling little noise that elevated his heart rate.

"Emma?" he intoned gently.

"Mmhmm", she hummed lazily to encourage him.

"Thank you, for not hanging up on me", he was rewarded with another giggle.

"I am so happy you finally called me", her voice was so unguarded and sincere. "I missed you."

He was certain he actually felt his heart contract. He could feel his pulse in his palms as he gripped the phone tighter. "I missed you too", he confessed gently. He could feel his eyes closing despite his best efforts. "I think you were right", he mumbled.

"It happens more often than you would think", she whispered playfully.

He could feel his lips pull into a grin as he laughed. He had no idea how many moments passed before he heard her speak again, "Good night Donnie."

"Good night Emma."

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After telling his brother an abridged version of the past years events Donatello watched his brother carefully. Despite his temper, Raph appeared to be doing his damndest to absorb the information. Raph took a deep breath before speaking.

"So, you have been talking to this girl regularly on the phone for months?"

"Six months", Don confirmed.

"But you have been chatting with this chick online for almost a year total?" Raph grunted.

Donnie nodded.

"And nobody knew?", Raph seemed impressed.

"Well, you do now", Donnie sighed looking into the cold contents of his coffee cup. "Are you going to tell the others?"

"Why the fuck would I do that?" Raph all but hissed at him.

Donnie sent him a flabbergasted look, but eyed him suspiciously.

Raph seemed to move on to the next line of business quickly, "So, what does she look like?"

Donnie sputtered at his brother's frankness which only encouraged the elder to sport a wolfish grin.

"She doesn't even know that I know what she looks like!" Donnie yelped.

Raph only chuffed, "You owe me bro."

Donnie sighed, and turned to pull up the only image he had of Emma.

Raphael stared at the screen for a moment before turning his gaze back to his brother. He repeated the motion a few times until he chuckled, "That hot chick likes you?"

Donnie rolled his eyes, and pinched the bridge of his muzzle. "She did."

"What happened? Did you get into a fight?" Raphael teased.

Donnie shrugged, "Not a fight. A disagreement, maybe? She is upset with me."

"What did you do?" Raph seemed highly entertained.

"Its what I won't do. She wants to meet. So, this is the dreaded beginning of the end."

Raph began to laugh, "So, you spend a year on this chick, and then just give up?"

"What am I suppose to do? Take her on a midnight stroll through the park explaining how I came to be giant mutated turtle, or should I open with our relationship with the Foot Clan? I mean there are so many options!" Donnie replied with animated sarcasm.

Raph smirked, "Or you could invite her to a costume party. There are only a couple hundred all over the city every weekend the whole month of October until Halloween, but what do I know?" He had the audacity to shrug in false hurt.

Don's mind began to work at high speed, there was no way he could have pulled something like this alone, but with Raph. "What about Leo & Mikey? If we are on the surface they will be too."

"I am sure we could think of a diversion them busy, and get you some time _alone_." Raph seemed way too confident about this.

"You are serious?" Don continued to stare incredulously.

"We need some excitement around here. Plus, it will really piss Leo off", Raph grinned leaning back to make himself comfortable.

"She will probably just scream and run away", the younger grumbled.

"Only one way to find out", Raph passed Donatello the phone. "Your move genius."

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AN: Well, I hope everyone likes it! Reviews are incredibly important to me because they are my only real way to gauge the audience. I welcome all feedback, and it is a huge motivator to get me to post on any kind of schedule.

Thank you so much for reading!

Violet Blak

P.S.

My preferred Beta-we can call her Dragon- has just recently moved to Japan, so there might be some grammatical oopsies until we get settled into a schedule. My apologies.


	2. Reaction

I'm Listening

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon and its creators. I make no monetary profit from this work it is only for entertainment.

Author's Note: 2014 Movie-Verse - Rated M for a reason! This work contains sexual content, violence, and at times dark themes that will become more developed as the story continues- you have been warned. Also, I have messed with the timetable the story is set in current time, but the guys are in their mid twenties- so the events of the movie would have happened around 2004.

The meeting of two personalities

is like the contact of two chemical substances:

if there is any reaction, both are transformed.

~ C.G. Jung

Chapter 2: Reaction

Don took the T-phone, but continued to stare at his brother. "I did not expect you to be so … supportive", Donnie struggled to find the least offensive way to question his most aggressive brother's intentions.

Raph's smirk faltered. He seemed to weigh what ever he was thinking before putting words to it. The behavior alone seemed to concern the younger, Raph was not known for thinking before speaking or acting for that matter.

"Cause I have been there", Raph finally huffed.

Don physically had to keep his jaw locked to prevent it from hanging open. Five words set his brain on fire. He must have looked the way he felt because his brother continued.

"There was a girl. I rescued her when I was out alone. She never really saw me, but she saw enough to know I was not human. We kind had a routine for a few weeks. She was a workin' girl with a lot of bad habits, so looking in on her seemed like a good idea. She definitely wasn't the kind of girl that I could bring home, but she treated me like I was normal." Raph was speaking as though this wasn't groundbreaking information.

"No one knew?" Donnie managed to mimic his brother's casual speech.

"Casey knew", Raph leaned back.

"So, this wasn't that long ago." Donnie thought out loud trying to create a timeline. Casey had only become a fixture in the last two years.

"About a year now I guess." Raph confirmed.

"Why did it end?" the younger asked carefully assessing his brother's reaction.

Raphael's eyes dimmed for a moment, "About six weeks in she went missing. Girls in that line of work aren't as carefully hunted for by the NYPD, so Casey and I did some digging. One of her bad habits was heroin, and she must have gotten a hold of a bad batch."

Don sank into his chair. His eyes closed as he tried to absorb the information. His brother was seeing a girl. Then, around the time his cyber relationship had started to bloom into a real friendship his brother had been in morning. He tried to remember if Raph had shown any signs of it over the holidays last year, but nothing came to mind. Finally, he gulped, "You never said a word to any of us."

Raph shrugged, "Think about it Don. Even you would have had an opinion on me chasing after a prostitute with a heavy drug habit." Don only stared in disbelief. Clearly the loss had affected his older brother quite heavily. Pain usually went hand in hand with growth when it came to Raphael.

"So", Raph grinned turning his attention back to the image on the screen. "Tell me more about Emma?"

Don followed his brother's gaze before speaking, "She has four degrees, and runs her family's company."

"So, she is a genius too", Raph grumbled.

"You could say that", Donnie smirked.

"Figures", the elder huffed. "Any bad things I should know?"

Don contemplated his answer for a moment, "I have tried to pry, but she is like fort knox. I know she is from serious money, but I was concerned because she has a complete lock down on her personal information- even I can't crack into the system. If I had not found a few articles about her and her family I might have thought she was "catfishing" me."

"But why so much security?" Raph huffed. He wasn't into computers, but he knew if Don couldn't get in, then it was a big deal. Years of cracking skulls had taught him the tougher the security was the bigger the prize.

"When I asked, she made it clear that her family had powerful ties. Also, the level of her wealth was also a concern. I had figured that much on my own. However, she was resolute that she would have to speak with me in person before she could tell me anymore." Donnie frowned.

"So, she is hot, rich, and mysterious. Sound like a good time", the wolfish grin had returned to his brother's face. "Anything else?"

"She is really funny", Donnie smiled earning an eye roll from the larger reptile.

"Any ideas on how to pull this off?" Raphael asked cracking his neck.

"Well, now that you mention it", Don grinned as he began to outline his plans.

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It had not taken long for Don to find the right Halloween party to invite Emma to. Even on the first Saturday in October there was a party that spanned several of the top floors of an expensive building. Now, came the terrifying part. Once he was certain Raphael was out of earshot he locked the door to the lab, and slumped in his chair. He pulled the phone out and made the call.

"Hello", Emma's ever sweet voice answered.

"Hey", he managed gently.

"So, he lives?" she murmured sarcastically.

"I deserve that", he sighed into the receiver.

"I knew bringing up meeting in person would be a big step, but I never took you for the run and hide type. Three days without a word…", her voice was guarded. It was a tone that he was not used to. Granted it had only been used twice- when he told her he was not sure about meeting and now.

"I was a coward, and I am truly sorry for that", his words were hushed by the fear racing through him. Perhaps, he was already too late. They normally spoke on the phone every night, and exchanged varying amounts of messages throughout the day.

"What are you so afraid of?" she was whispering now. Her voice frustrated and laced with pain.

The sound of it lanced through his chest, and so he did what he always did with her. He blurted out the truth, "That you will take one look at me and run away." He managed to omit the screaming and or fainting selection of the truth which was probably for the best.

"Donnie, I promise that won't happen", she soothed softly.

"You say that now", he jested. His heart softened at the sound of her giggle. "Am I forgiven?"

"Not until I get to see you in person", he could hear her smile through her words despite her best attempt to sound stern.

"How do you feel about a Halloween party on Saturday?" He held his breath while he listened for her response.

"You want to meet in three days?" she sounded shocked.

"Is that too soon?!", his back peddling was interrupted by her giggle.

"No, it just sounded too good to be true. Where am I going?" she sounded excited.

He was amazed how quickly they settled the details. Emma rushed him off the phone. Apparently, three days was barely enough time for a woman to get ready for a costume party. He spent the rest of the afternoon hovering between heart hammering excitement and terrifying reality that left him in a cold sweet.

From a mathematical standpoint it was still most likely that Emma would reject him on sight. He had personally witnessed just how many soul crushing ways humans had reacted to their first glimpse of a Hamato brother. Screaming or rude comments were primary elements. Usually combined with a selection of running away, fainting, and on very special occasions loss of bladder control. The last one was still a personal favorite of Raphael's. Granted they were a lot to take in. Tall, armed, green, and in the case of his brothers hulking with muscle mass. He was most confused by how quickly most people assumed that they ate humans.

He studied his reflection in his bathroom mirror. In some ways he appeared more humanoid than his brothers while in other ways he was decidedly more reptilian. He was around 6'7" the last time he measured. He and Raph had bounced back and forth as tallest of their clan, but in their teens Raph edged him out at 6'9". Leo was around 6'4" while Mike was right at 6'. They towered over most humans in the city.

Second, he was more heavily scaled than his blue eyed brothers. Like Raphael he had large pronounced scales on all of his joints and the back of his skull. Leo and Mikey were lighter in color and had smoother scales, which was part of the reason those two could have tattoos lay in their thinner scales. He had simply decided against it while Raph had taken the pain up a notch with a brand on his shoulder. Also, like his hot-headed brother he had not been blessed with bright blue eyes. Instead, a very inhuman golden green filled his iris. Something that was particularly noticeable in low light since the reflectiveness of his eyes in the dark presented as bright gold. Rap's had enough green to prevent this from being a problem. Fortunately, his glasses helped hide this while they also allowed him to see.

A human male with his physique would be highly desirable, but paired with all of these issues most would still run. He snickered bitterly to himself. He had not even begun with his shell, larger and animalistic skull and hands. Then, there was the muzzle. It was better than a hard beak, but he still presented a larger, blunter mouth with matching large teeth & tongue.

A woman might not enjoy the texture or density of the plates that covered his front either. The scutes that should have been a plastron were still firmly fused to their body, but no longer fused to each other which allowed them more flexibility than their origin should allow. The plates held a texture something like leather wrapped kevlar, and were highly effective in shielding them from gunfire. Possibly the most dreaded conversation revolved around their tails. A blush stained his green cheeks plum. Fortunately, they were rather humanoid in the shape, location and function of their genitalia, but their tails still had lingering traits that a human would not quite understand. Assuming that they could accept the having a tail to begin with.

"I am insane", he huffed at his own reflection. Even if this ended up as the best possible outcome it would still be the beginning of a long up hill climb.

His phone made a single chirp that told him it was a message from Emma. His blush darkened at the message. "How do you feel about meeting me as Jessica Rabbit?"

He licked his lips. He was cheating in this game because he had an image of her, and knew full well that she could cosplay that character. The thought of her in a skin tight dress was enough to restore his confidence for the moment. A smirk curved his lips as he typed his reply. "Adventurous, you do know that she was in an anthropomorphic relationship, right?"

"I am taking that as a green light. What will you be dressed as?" her reply dinged.

"Ninja", he countered. Hopefully, she would see the irony and laugh… not scream.

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"Do we have to?!" Mikey whined.

"It's only going to take a few hours if we split up", Donatello offered with a smile.

Leo nodded and headed into tunnels to their left with the smallest turtle in tow. Leaving Raph and Don to begin their way into the tunnels to the right. Once they were out of earshot the paused.

"You ready?" Raph grunted taking the bag of supplies from his younger brother. Leave it to Don to create a plan where the distraction was actual work. While he was out on a romantic tryst the rest of them would be changing the batteries on the security cameras surrounding the lair. Don had apparently created a important back up system in case of a power outage. It would be a very slow job for Leo to do since their fearless leader was shit with technology, and the added bonus of him having to corral Mikey was something like tying a lead weight around his neck.

"Define ready", Don grumbled sarcastically.

"Just go!" Raph barked waving a hand towards the closest exit tunnel.

"You will update me if Leo get antsy, or if he breaks something, or if you break something, or if…" Don was obviously not off to a great start.

Raph took a deep breath through his nose, then in his best attempt at calm, "There is a girl waiting on you, now go."

Don gulped, but turned toward the exit.

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Don shifted into the shadows near the door atop the roof. It was a relatively good site because there were lots of dark corners, and it was a finished rooftop. They would not be standing on gravel, but rather on finished tiles with stone benches for seating. Because he was not exactly the first man to think of taking a girl to the roof, he had taken the precaution of blocking the door with one of those stone benches. Since it was the only access door the people could not move it without a specialized crew, thus he had secured the space for himself. He didn't move the bench away until she had texted to say that people informed her the roof was blocked. At his reassurance she continued.

Now, he stood waiting for her to slip past him. The heavy bass from the party below matched the pace in his chest. Blood roared in his ears, and he gripped the brick wall to steady himself. Then, the door pushed open, and she was there. She was there and at approximately 11pm on a Saturday his whole world stopped.

She stood in purple velvet stilettos with matching purple silk gloves that were pulled three quarters the way up her slender arms. Her dark hair fell in large loose waves down her back to corkscrewed ends. The dark surroundings made her fair skin seem to glow. The red dress clung to every curve, and the shimmery fabric caught and reflected any light around them. God help him that dress. Its sweetheart neckline showed off so much of her creamy skin. She was a living Jessica Rabbit complete with the impossible curves. The slit that made its way half way up one side split as she took a cautious step forward peering at the empty benches. She gripped a small purse in her left hand, and she took a deep breath, "Donnie?"

His heart returned to its hammering pace at the sight of her saying his name. He licked his lips, and he felt his knees go numb, but he remained standing. He managed a gentle voice, "I'm here Emma."

She turned to the sound of his voice. A smile curling her full beautifully shaped lips revealing perfect pearly teeth. Her hair was parted to the side, and a delicate widows peak framed her forehead. Dark lashes brushed her cheeks, and a dark freckle lay on her right cheek just an inch or so above the corner of her mouth. Heavy liner wrapped the edges of her eyes. Those large doll-like eyes locked on his shadowy outline. Twin pools of mercury shot with a starburst of emerald green exploding from the center. He was hypnotized by the mix of shifting silver and brilliant green. She was far too close now. If she just reached out an arm she would feel his scutes or scales or… words, he needed to use words.

Her head cocked to the side with obvious curiosity and a playful glimmer lit her orbs, "Are you really still hiding from me?" She was giggling shaking her head.

"Emma, I need to tell you a few things first before you see…", it was too late. It was too late to scold himself over how his voice had cracked and rolled. It was too late to run because she had in one small quick movement snached his right hand. The only way he could have dodged without being seen would have involved knocking her down, and he wasn't willing to harm her in anyway. So, in a split second all his plans, all his practiced speeches had been tossed to the wind as she grasped his painfully not human hand.

He was watched her reaction carefully. He was not moving a muscle. Emma seemed to immediately notice the difference, and instinctively raised it to be held by both her small hands. Slender fingers slipped over the scales on the back of his bare hand. Perhaps ten seconds passed before he saw realization flit across her feature, and a small gasp escaped her throat. He closed his eyes, and braced. He couldn't take seeing fear in those beautiful eyes. With gentle care he pulled his hand from her grip, or rather he tried. About halfway through the attempt her gloved fingertips shifted, and with surprising force one locked around his wrist the thumb pressed to the underside to feel his racing pulse. The other pressed their palms together. Her slim fingers fell into the vast dip between his thumb and fingers while her thumb pressed with soothing pressure into the muscles at the base of his own thumb.

His eyes opened to see the intimate grip his hand was captured in. Her eyes searching the shadows for this face, but likely only saw the glimmer from his eyes reflecting the light around them. Her cheeks were flushed pink, and she was taking deliberate breaths through her nose. Her voice was quiet, but oh so hopeful. "You're my Donnie?"

A lump formed in his throat, but his voice pushed forward, "God, I hope so." The words were low, choppy, and raspy. Why couldn't his voice just pick a pitch?

A smile formed on her lovely features when his grip closed over hand. She closed her eyes with a huff, "I messed up your plan, didn't I?"

"I-I wouldn't say that, exactly", he stammered as she grinned stepping closer while resting the back of his hand against her cheek. The first feel of her petal soft skin sent tiny sparks up his arm to race down his spine and ricochet to the edges of his carapace.

"Right", she took a deep breath. "I'm listening, my eyes are closed, and I will hold my questions for the end of the presentation." Her grip on his hand tightened. Her breath was warm on his scales, and he stood there flabbergasted. She seemed to sense the start-up failure in his brain because she nuzzled her cheek to his knuckles, and urged. "Tell me how Donnie."

He swallowed thickly. The scream he was braced for. He had brought salts incase she fainted. He had never thought to plan for this. People never touched them of their own volition. April seemed to enjoy the occasional hug or arm over the shoulder, but even that was after moments of difficulty or joy. She never just touched them. Now, here was his beautiful Emma breaking every law they had established about human interaction in one minute flat. Years of observation out the window. The lack of parameters made his mind lurch. Then, it fired back with astounding efficiency.

He pulled her hand to stand between them. She let him guide her to a secluded alcove on the rooftop. On the way he used his free arm to place the stone bench back in place on the access door. When he tried to pull away her grip locked, and he could see mild panic cross her features. He shushed her soothingly, knowing she had fought to keep her calm till now. Delayed reaction he noted, as she took a shaky breath. He used his free hand to cup her cheek. His thumb traced her delicate jaw line, and she leaned into his touch. He indulged himself as he adjusted his grip. His fingers slid into her thick soft hair to cup her skull while his thumb continued to rest near the hinge of her jaw. It allowed him to feel her soft flesh, and take a note on her racing pulse.

He could actually smell her she was so close. Normally, smelling humans was a serious downside to the heightened sense. They were fortunate in that their sense of smell required close quarters to be of any use- unless it was raining or particularly humid. Then, there was no real escaping the lack of personal care. His Emma was literally sweet. Warm honey and spices… where had he picked up on those notes before. Chai, his mind landed on the spiced black tea. She smelled of honey and chai. It was heavy, sweet, rich and oh so tempting.

"Please, don't be afraid. I would never hurt you." He murmured the words feeling emboldened by the feel of her skin and her sweet scent filling his lungs.

Her blush returned full force, but she scoffed, "I know. You're still Donnie." She seemed so confident again. She released his right hand, and tugged off her gloves. He was pay too much attention to the freshly revealed skin to stop her from stepping forward. She closed the gap between them pressing herself to his chest. Fingertips trace upwards over his pectoral scutes, over the scales of his shoulder moving inward to wrap around his neck. The movement was fluid, unhurried, and stole the air from his lungs. The heels set her high enough to lay her cheek against his shoulder, though without them she could probably only reach his upper chest. Fortunately, it was his right shoulder which was bare of armor except for a few loops for purple. Reflexively he embraced her, and she was so warm. One hand settling on her back while the left returned to stroking her cheek and cradling her neck. The wind picked up slightly, and he shifted them away from the autumn chill. Using the embrace to lift her a breath from the ground, and turn so that his shell was to the night air, and her back was faced to the wall. Though he was careful not to let her actually touch the rough brick.

She shifted to nestle further into him as he set her back down, "Donnie?"

He tipped his head at her soft call. She was so close that he could feel her warm breath puff against his muzzle. Her rich scent making his mind buzz. His nerves seemed to have left with that wind, or perhaps her scent really was melting his brain. Either way, he just didn't care. He tightened his hold as he began, "I was created in a lab…"

As he spoke, her hold would evolve. On the topic of how he was raised his she had smiled. However, when he summarized the events surrounding their capture, escape and fight with the Shredder she had gripped him tightly. The whole time he spoke she had obediently kept her eyes closed, and nodded along to let him know she was grasping the information. Upon his finish silence fell between them.

After a moment, her right hand drifted upwards until it came in contact with the edge of his carapace. She frowned when she also came in contact with the copious amounts of gear that was strapped to the upper portion of his shell. Then, it drifted back down to settle on the pectoral scute over his heart- no doubt feeling it hammer beneath the plate.

"A turtle", she murmured. A little smile played on her lips pulling his attention from her hand back to her face.

"A red eared slider to be exact", he smirked.

"I was so afraid that it was something to do with me. That maybe you had seen me and didn't find me attractive, or didn't actually have an interest in me at all." She mumbled like she was chastising herself while tucking further into his shoulder.

He shook his head despite her still closed eyes, and stroked her cheek to gain her attention. "You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in this world", for once his voice didn't crack, roll, or stumble.

Emma seemed to buck at the words doing her damnedest to yank herself closer to him. He held his breath as the fingers from her right hand traced his jaw before striking up to follow his cheek. Trailing over the prominent scales there then outlining his muzzle. The whole time he was painfully aware of how close she had brought her lips to his. His control wavered, until she spoke his name. It was a sweet plea that made her lips whisper against his own and he broke. Closing the minuscule distance between them in a fluid movement that left his brain reeling. The flesh was supple, warm, and wet. All that was good in the world as far as he was concerned. Heat seared through him with the erratic nature of a lightning strike.

A sigh escaped her throat as she pressed her lips more firmly against his own. She moved her lips in gentle slow advances. It allowed him to catch on seamlessly, and each press or pull of their flux acted like billows to the heat in his veins. He lost all concept of time. He could only think of better ways to match their lips. All this concern over the size of his own mouth had gone out the window. They actually matched up nicely, exquisitely really. Her full lips and the mild angle of her head left him breathless and starved. He also had never accounted for how the sound of a kiss would affect him. Her soft sighs and hums, light gasps, and the little moist clicks from when they would separate- if only for a moment. He was trying to keep some part of his conscious mind though. Partly due to being raise a ninja, and partly due to not really wanting to have a conversation about the subtle differences and meanings between growls and churrs.

XXXXXX

Emma pulled back a little further, and lazily opened her eyes. Lips tingling from the delicious pressure Donnie had swept over them. Even in the darkness, she could make out his silhouette properly now- including the gear she had felt earlier that sat across the crest of his shell. Her eyes caught on the creamy golden color of his chest. Quickly deciding she loved the contrast between the light plates and his darker green scales. Her eyes drifted upwards past the strong neck and powerful jaw. Her breath caught at his eyes. In the dim light his glasses magnified the pools of gold with a warm green shifted between the embers.

Raising a hand she traced the worn purple fabric, and she giggled when he tipped his head down to lean into the touch. It caused his glasses to slide down to the edge of his blunt nose. She gently pushed them back up, and wrapped her arms back around his neck. Powerful arms held her in place. Leaning into his chest again she pressed her ear to the plate over his heart. The now steady beats helped her ground her thoughts. Donnie was real, Donnie was not human, and Donnie was wonderful.

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"Raphael, where is he?" Leo was fuming.

It had been three hours since Donatello had left. It turns out the battery system was not so hard for Leonardo to figure out. So the distraction had only lasted two and a half hours.

"I told you he went out", Raph rolled his eyes.

"Dude, Donnie never goes out alone", Mikey pointed out, but was silenced when Raph cracked his knuckles.

"Is this because Sensei is out? Do you have him out running some errand for you?" Leo was officially grasping at straws.

"He is definitely out on a personal mission, but it ain't mine", Raph grinned it was fun to pull Leo's chain sometimes.

"Duuuddeee, does that mean what I think it means?" Mikey had bounded across the living room to join the conversation.

Leo stopped short, "Raph?"

"All right fine! He's meeting his girl", the largest turtle looked like the cat who ate the canary.

"WHAT?!" Leo was officially fuming now.

"He went to meet Emma", Raph offered confidently.

"Leo has gone full Godzilla", Mikey commented opening a can of orange crush as the watched their elder brother seethe.

"We are going to go get him, and clean up his mess", the blue banded turtle ordered.

Raph rolled his shoulders, "Fine, but if we mess this up for him it's your fault."

"Man, he has a point. We will so kill the mood", Mikey wagged a finger warningly.

"I am more concerned with our existence remaining a secret to ensure our survival." Leo was grumbling as he half dragged the smaller turtle out of the lair.

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Author's Note:

So, first and foremost I want to thank everyone who has read, favorited, followed, and most of all those who have reviewed! I have never had such a warm welcome to a fandom, and you guys sure know how to make a girl feel special. Second, I want to *ahem* apologize for breaking not one but two turtle hearts. The April and Mikey situation was to set a mood based on what I figured was going on in the movie. Raph's was partly to give him some room to grow- hence why our little hot head was so pro-Emma, and it was to pay homage to a common story arc I have seen a lot of in almost all of the TMNT universes' fandoms. So, in conclusion forgive my sins... and I hope everyone enjoyed the new chapter.

Dragon will be beta-ing this a little later, but I don't think she will have to change much- I think/hope.

Please don't forget to tell me how I did! I love reviews since it is direct feedback. There is also a strong correlation between getting reviews/feedback and my motivation to keep writing- the more you tell me the more I will want to write! In the meantime, brace yourselves for Chapter 3 - Combustion.

Love,

Violet Blak


	3. Combustion

**I'm Listening**

 **Disclaimer:** Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon and its creators. I make no monetary profit from this work it is only for entertainment.

 **Author's Note: 2014 Movie-Verse -** Rated M for a reason! This work contains sexual content, violence, and at times dark themes that will become more developed as the story continues- you have been warned. Also, I have messed with the timetable the story is set in current time, but the guys are in their mid twenties- so the events of the movie would have happened around 2004.

One ought never to turn one's back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it.

If you do that, you will double the danger.

But if you meet it promptly and without flinching,

you will reduce the danger by half.

Never run away from anything.

Never!

~Winston Churchill

 **Chapter 3: Combustion**

Raph took a few deep breaths trying his hardest to summon some scrap of meditative calm his father had taught him- well tried to teach him. Then, as they were nearly to the exit Don had taken, he turned in one last attempt, "Leo think about it. Its Donnie, do you really think that he would just do this without some fucking idea that this girl would get it."

The eldest paused before gripping the ladder rung harshly, "What if he is wrong? There's no one there to back him up against an attack."

Mikey's eyes widened, "What if she turned him down? He would be all _alone_." The youngest had always shown a flair for dramatics.

Raph squared his shoulders, and nodded. "Fine, but when we bust up their date for no damn reason you're dealing with Don." He made hard eye contact with Leo before heading up the ladder to lead the way.

They only made it five minutes into their hike up town before several throwing stars cut through the air around them. Leo had been lecturing them both on acting as a team, and not jeopardizing the team. Karai had not amassed the numbers that the Foot Clan had before, but she was being exceptionally selective and set a high quality of fighter for her new clan. The new version of the Foot Clan was troublesome. Plus, they had only made it halfway to where Don was meeting Emma. Raph finally allowed worry to twist his gut- if Don had encountered this he may have never made it to the girl.

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For a long time, they simply held each other. Both trying to grasp the universal shift they had just created in their lives. It was strange to think that something so simple as physical touch could ease this level of stress, but it was in fact working. Donnie gripped her tightly to his chest, and dipped his head to rest his cheek against the crown of her dark hair. She had responded by nestling herself completely to his frame. Her fingertips idly traced the scales at his neck and shoulders from her relaxed grip around his neck. It was a soothing action that eased both of their nerves. Nothing could have been more foreign to either party, and yet they fell so naturally into the position.

She took a deep breath, and shifted herself ever so slightly to look up at him. A gentle smile played on her lips, "And here I thought I had the big secret."

Donnie gazed down at her and snickered, "This is the part where you confess your involvement with the Foot Clan and Sacks Industries."

She grinned shaking her head, "No, I'm afraid it's nothing quite that dramatic, but it is rather complicated."

Relief settled over his shoulders. That particular set of fears had been a long shot, but considering his family's luck it wasn't impossible. He smiled at the light blush on her cheeks. Masculine satisfaction filled his chest at the sight of her swollen lips and mussed hair. That was his doing, and it made the young inventor proud.

He smirked slightly, "I think I can handle it."

Emma laughed lightly at his cockyness, "You say that now." She tapped a finger to her lips thoughtfully, and then stepped out of his hold. "Let's start from the beginning", she smiled and performed an elegant curtsey. "My name is Emmanuelle Lucienne. I am the daughter of Marcus "The Banshee" Dalton and the heiress Vivian Lucienne."

For a moment he gawked, but then he caught on. He took a full step back and took a deep bow from the waist, "Hamato Donatello."

He found her beaming at him when he rose back to his full height. She stood on tip toe in her heels to press a peck to each cheek, "It is a pleasure." She murmured, clearly enjoying the play at formality.

"So, an heiress and a _Banshee_? Sounds like a good story", Donnie mused. All he knew about her parents was that they had passed away in an accident a few years ago, but this new information set his inquisitive nature aflame. He was pulled from further thought when he felt her hands grip one of his own. She was looking up at him with concern.

Her eyes closed in an expression of understanding, "I suppose I should state that besides my identity fraud there has been no illegal activity by my immediate family since I was born. I have no other crimes to my name, but I will admit some of my father's _family members_ are not such commendable citizens."

Donnie adjusted his glasses, and sat down on the bench. _Family_ , he knew the term in many forms, and understood the reference to the criminal world. His Emma was gently trying to tell him that her father had been a member of a criminal family. He gestured for her to join him, and was pleased when she settled next to him. He wrapped an arm around her waist. "Let's start with identity fraud?" he urged grinning.

Emma shrugged, "My parents knew that I would be stigmatized for the Lucienne name, and made a target because of the money associated with the family. So, they used a friend of the family in the U.S. government to create Emma Dalton- an American citizen born in Connecticut. It's actually my father's real last name, but he was never legally documented in this country, so it was a tongue and cheek way for me to carry both family names. It was decided days after I was born. So, I have lived my life with two names for safety and convenience."

"Clever and effective." Don noted. "Where are you actually from?"

"I was born and mostly raised in Annecy, France. It's where my grandparents built the family estate. We traveled frequently though with my mother's work, so I have been just about everywhere."

"And what did she do?" he smiled taking her hand.

"My mother was a forensic anthropologist specialized to work mostly on archeological digs. So, we went to wherever the digs were, and followed the bones back to the labs in France. She did try to settle down to be a professor for a year, but it didn't suit her." Emma seemed to glow with pride on the topic of her mother.

"So, your mom was Indiana Jones?!" he scoffed with a deadpan humor.

Emma giggled, "Not quite, but she did enjoy telling people she was in the business of collecting heads."

Donatello snickered at the thought. "So, I am guessing that you are now the heiress?"

Emma nodded, but her body language shifted. She toyed with her fingers, and gave the activity her full attention. Don frowned at the change. He reached out to retake one of her slender hands in his. Emma smiled at the gesture, and closed her eyes.

"I don't like to talk about the money", she spoke quietly as her grip tightened.

"Then, we don't have to", Don offered gently.

Her eyes turned to his again with relief. It left him mildly concerned about just how much money she had control over, but all that really mattered to him was that it was legal, and he fully believed her claim that it was. Yet, when she smiled those mercury eyes glinted with sadness. It pulled at his heart, and he knew there was likely a long and painful history followed such a level of wealth. Humans had a long history with greed. He cupped her cheek again, and was so pleased when she relaxed to his touch. He marveled at the feel of her petal soft skin under his calloused fingertips. Her porcelain complexion seemed to glow in the shadows, and he found himself utterly captivated.

It was with that thought that he leaned in to press his lips to her's. Again she pressed into him, and hummed at the exchange. This time was different. Before he was utterly unsure of his skill, but now he was testing his newfound knowledge. She sighed when he applied a firm pressure against her mouth. The test of his tongue across her bottom lip earned him a playful nip from her little teeth to his own lower lip. It struck a who new cord of lust, and he hauled her to him. Emma broke from his kiss, but only smiled as she made herself comfortable in her new position across his lap. Her legs dangled to his left, and she seemed to appreciate that the higher plane helped reduce the difference in their heights. She sat on his right thigh, but turned herself more towards him as she cupped his cheeks in her pale hands.

Donnie swallowed hard as he awaited her reaction to his movement. She only placed a soft kiss to his lips before pulling away. Emma's fingers stroked the scales of his cheek, and she fixed his larger scales there with pecks. His eyes fell closed at the tender show of affection, and he tightened his grip around her waist. The feather light caress of her lips swept to his muzzle laying more little kisses to the softer flesh there before returning to his mouth.

He surged against the plush lips fueled by the brimming emotion her touch had woken in his chest. Bravely he tasted the honeyed flavor of her tongue, and her quiet moan called a gentle rumble from his chest. Fear speared him at the sound of his own churr, and he blinked as he pulled away.

The apology died on his lips at her grin. Her hands drifted down to the top plates of his chest with a playful quirk to her lips, "Again?"

He obliged her request wholeheartedly. One hand wandering from her back to drift into her hair pulling her sweetness back to him. She traced her fingertips on the edge of the plates where they met scales. It pulled another low rumble from his chest that tickled her lips in their kiss. He could feel her smile, but she only deepened the affection this time. Her arms moved to loop back around his neck, and she used the grip to pull him even closer. Perhaps he could get away with not explaining churrs anyway.

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Three figures broke into a run across the rooftops. They were nearly to their destination, and had finally forced the Foot Clan to retreat. Raphael ran ahead, and made another leap. They needed to be higher than the meeting spot Donnie had selected to scout it properly. Donnie had purposely selected the location though, so there was only one option, and it was a steep climb. Damn Donnie- always thinking ahead. However, when he topped the roof he stumbled forward with a grunt. His brothers had more intense reactions to the scene their vantage point debuted. Leo's expression was pure shock while Mikey bounced back and forth on the heels of his feet like a giddy child.

Before them Donnie stood to help a woman up from a bench. Their location negated the cover of shadows their brother had chosen, gave them prime seats for the show. A smirk curved the largest turtle's muzzle. That photo had barely done justice to the raven haired beauty wrapped in Donnie's arms. She giggled when their brother's embrace lifted her off the ground.

"When did Donnie get moves?!" Mikey sputtered.

Don had tipped the girl's chin up to place a gentle kiss. The beauty molded herself to Donnie, and one leg bent backward at the knee splitting the high slit of her dress. It was no wonder Don hadn't come home. Who could blame him?

Leo was still frozen in place from his landing. He still appeared to be breathing, but that was really the only thing the fearless leader seemed to be doing. Raph snickered, but before he could comment on his elder brother's state a wolf whistle rang out from his youngest brother. Don's head snapped at the sound. The girl cocked her head in their direction with a confused wave, and Mikey happily waved back. Leo seemed to snap out of his bewilderment to smack the back of Mikey's head.

Raph shifted his weight with a grumble, "Idiot."

Don tipped his head down, and said something to her. She smiled, but blushed darkly while peering up at their location. She sat back on the bench, and nodded to whatever he said. Then, Don was headed in their direction fast. The girl watched curiously as Donnie made short work of scaling the next building. The genius landed with near silent stealth and a wide smile.

Mikey all but smothered the olive skinned turtle in an embrace, "Where did you find the babe? She so hot! Does she have friends? Tell me she has friends!"

Don managed to pry his youngest brother off chuckling, "I'll have to ask Mikey."

Raph smirked knowingly at his blushing brother, "Emma seems friendly."

Leo stalked up to Don with a growl, "Do you have any idea how much danger you put yourself in tonight?"

Don lifted an eye-ridge, "I have remained out of sight, and I have seen absolutely no danger." His counter was firm, but concerned.

"Dude, there was a swarm of Foot Clan just a ways back. You totally missed it", Mikey grinned.

Donatello's eyes darkened, "How far? Could you have been followed?"

The brothers moved to answer, but the sound of Emma's gasp rang through the air. Don was already mid jump back down to the previous building when the girl was hauled to her feet. A foot soldier gripped her by a fist full of her hair near the crown of her head. A handful more foot clan soldiers stood between him and his sweet Emma. He landed, and moved toward the men, but the man holding Emma held a knife up in warning. He moved the metal to ghost over her pale throat.

"Careful", the man gripping Emma scolded. "You wouldn't want me to make a mess", he tightened his grip on her hair.

Emma grasped at her captor's hands while desperately trying to keep herself steady to avoid more pain. Her eyes were tightly closed, but besides her initial gasp she made no other sound of distress. Her breathing was becoming more controlled. She appeared to be forcing her system to calm despite the cool metal pressed warningly to her flesh. All of this was noticed by the brothers. Donatello stood with his bo ready, growling, but the three other brothers had yet to be seen by the attackers. She wasn't panicking- that was good it gave them time. His brothers were no doubt taking up tactical positions around them.

"You know I always wondered if you bastards had women, but I never thought you would have such good taste!" The man holding Emma chuckled to himself. He tightened his grip at the base of her skull to force her to arch her back and tip her head up. His eyes glittering at the view of her full chest and slim neck. "I may just have to keep your little whore for myself", he was all but purring when Emma's eyes flashed with a snarl.

"I will enjoy putting out your fire, girl." The man smirked confidently. Emma's eyes found Donnie's for a moment. Her emerald and mercury pools ebbed with a knowing serenity, and it stilled his rage for a moment.

She then turned her orbs to the man, and looked up at him through her lashes. She lowered her hands to clasp them in front of her chest demurely. She spoke in playful french to the man, "Je suis trop pour vous de gérer."

The man loosened his grip some at her change in her demeanor. "Well, she's french to boot. It must be my lucky day", he barked with laughter the man around him joining in.

Emma seemed undeterred, and stepped to turn and face the man in his more relaxed hold. Her head tilted coyly as she whispered, "Vous êtes un grand fou."

The man seemed pleased, and released his grip on her hair to move towards her waist, "I don't speak much French, but don't let that stop you."

At his release Emma's eyes sharpened and she lunged forward her hand flexed, and the heel of her palm connected with surprising force with the man's trachea. She then dropped and scrambled for her clutch that had fallen under the bench. The man gasped, and tilted back gripping his throat as his windpipe spasmed.

The brothers took the distraction, and lept to engage the soldiers. Raph had one pummeled in two good hits, and Donnie had knocked one out with a good crack from his bo. Leo was in hand to hand combat with another while Mikey managed to get close to the man holding Emma. However this man was no push over, and even while gasping was managing to hold Mikey off. Emma rose sharply in the midst of the chaos when the man knocked Mikey off and halfway across the rooftop. She sprayed the man's face with something, but the man was unphased.

"Your pepper spray doesn't work, girl." He launched at her, but she only flicked the other wrist.

A sharp metal sound accompanied the motion, and a small flame appeared from a lighter in her hand. She held it to her lips and blew when the man closed in. Flame erupted all around the man's face and neck. He screamed and desperately attempted to put the flame out with little effect. The man turned on her in rage the flames still licking his skin. He yanked her by her upper arm, but saw Donatello closing him. Changing tactics he hurled Emma backward into the brick wall behind them. She yelped at the force, and the hit was punctuated by the solid pop of her skull making contact with the bricks.

Donatello launched at the sound, and flipped upward. His bo, held horizontal, caught under the man's chin, so that as Don landed the force of the flip sent the man careening through the air. There was a moist crunch when the foot clan soldier's body met the wall of a nearby building. He was dead on impact leaving a trail of blood, spinal fluid, and brain as the body slid downward.

"We're clear", Leo announced as he turned to his brothers who gathered around the girl.

Emma lay in a heap at the base of the wall, so close to where they had been happily nestled before. The toothpick shifted in Raphael's jaws. Mikey's blue eyes were wide with concern as a small pool of blood formed at her side. Donnie had gently pushed the hair from her face, and was whispering to her, "Emma can you hear me?"

Her features scrunched into a grimace of pain. Her eyes opened, but they were glassy. Don ran a hand to the back of her head finding a knot, but was pleased that there was no other wound. Her back was another story. He was happy to find no obvious broken bones, but the skin was horribly scraped. Then, on her right shoulder blade he found a seven inch gash. It was not terribly deep, but it was the source of the blood. He noted her shifting legs, and clenched fists. It was good function, and reduced his fears of a spinal injury.

"She needs to go to a hospital Donnie", Leo urged.

The girl shook her head in Donatello's grip, "No, please. They will find me."

Donnie cooed to her as he cradled her in his arms, "I know. I'll fix it. They won't find you."

The golden eyed terrapin turned his gaze to his eldest brother. "I am taking her to the lab." It was a statement rather than request.

Leo dragged a hand down his face with a sigh. The girl would be easy prey for the foot clan in a hospital. That was if any of those who had seen her were still alive- he noted with a survey of the rooftop. He glanced down at the woman in Donatello's arms. She lay unconscious now, and appeared serene in his brother's hold.

"Fine, we're on the move", he huffed moving to leap from the building toward the lair.

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"Dammit, what did Donnie tell you?!" Raph grumbled lowly. Even then, his whispered threats held weight, and the youngest looked up at him.

The blue eyed turtle smiled sheepishly, and turned his attention back to the girl. Don had kicked them all out of the lab to treat her, but now that she was sewn up and stable, Leo had dragged him out to explain himself,leaving the unconscious girl in the care of remaining two turtles. However, Raph was mainly just trying to keep Mikey from being loud, or touching her. The youngest was like a child staring at a cookie jar. He bustled to and fro, and finally settled for slowly circling the examination table she lay on.

Raph had not so gently pointed out that just because she liked Donnie didn't mean that she wanted to wake up to a faceful of the energetic terrapin. Mikey was undeterred. He was keeping his voice low, and had only snuck a few touches- running his fingertips over her forearm and smoothing out her hair when she shifted. The youngest was utterly delighted with her presence. Raphael was nervous. The largest brother did not want to be the one the girl woke up to. Humans… even April had taken time to warm up to them as a fixture. He also didn't want to face Donnie's wrath if she woke up terrified, or injured herself.

The lights in the lab had been dimmed, but their vision had no difficulty adjusting. Both reptiles grew silent when her breathing picked up, and her fingers flexed. Her lashes fluttered, and she made the most pitiful whimper. She shifted the muscle and bone of her back and shoulder only to make that little cry again. Dread filled the older brother.

The younger placed his hand over the girl's. It dwarfed hers, but he tried not to focus on it, and whispered gently to her waking form. "Its ok. You're safe. I promise." The normally insufferable brother had a knack for highly emotional situations. Her form relaxed slightly before her eyes opened. She blinked rapidly as she adjusted to the light.

Her eyes found Mikey, and she grimaced. The younger looked impossibly crestfallen, and moved to step away. The girl, however, only grasped his hand tightly. Her teeth gritted for a moment, but then the discomfort seemed to pass. Her eyes turned to Mikey again with a weak smile.

"What's wrong?" The blue eyed reptile urged.

Emma licked her lips and wrinkled her nose. Her voice was quiet, "I am terribly nauseous, and I feel fuzzy…" Her eyes seemed to struggle to focus for a moment then her petite nose crinkled again, "But mostly nausea."

Mikey made a show of sighing, but still kept his voice low, "Babe, you can't do that to a guy. I thought you were going to freak."

She only giggled, but another wave of nausea crashed over her. Her empty hand gripped the side of the table, and she attempted to roll to that side, but a large hand on her collarbone prevented the movement. Her eyes followed the large hand up the colossal arms to meet Raphael's gaze.

"Sorry dollface, Donnie said you shouldn't move with fresh stitches", Raph muttered.

Her eyes swept over his features, but locked on his eyes. It unnerved him instantly. Again she settled, her eyes falling to half-mast as she peered into his soul. After a moment, he released her, and she flicked her gaze between the two of them on either side of her. A smile curled her lips, and she blushed. "Did I really set someone on fire earlier?"

It broke the thin sheet of tension, and Mikey grinned broadly with enthusiastic nods. Raph snickered, "Never thought Donnie's girl would have been a brawler."

Again her body endured another wave of nausea pulled at her features. Mikey released her hand, and moved to leave tossing a smile her way, "I'll go get Donnie for you, honey bunny." The youngest winked before slipping out of the lab.

Moments later Donnie flew into the lab, immediately drawing up to Emma. He murmured something to her, and when she shook her head he retrieved a vial and syringe. She closed her eyes when the needle pressed into the flesh of her arm, but the effects were immediate. She took a deep breath and relaxed. Donnie smoothed the sheet he had placed over her, pulled a small flashlight from a drawer, and began examining her eyes. After a few moments he seemed satisfied. She again tried to sit up, and this time Donatello obliged- tenderly adjusting her form for her. She now sat up, facing the brothers with her back to Don, one of her hands held in his. Don motioned to each of his brothers softly introducing them, she smiled at each of them unphased by their obvious difference.

Leo cleared his throat drawing the attention of the room. "If you are feeling better, Miss Emma, then I am afraid I we need some answers."

The girl nodded. "How may I enlighten you?"

"We need to know more about your family." Leo's timbre was firm.

"Oh", she chirped. Her gaze shifting to each of them, then back to Donnie who smiled encouragingly. She hummed lightly, and then flashed them her playful smile. "I suppose a secret for a secret is fair."

Her expression turned concerned, "You should probably sit down though."

The three chuffed and adjusted their posture at the suggestion. She huffed, but made herself comfortable.

"Don't say I didn't warn you", she paused her expression dancing for a moment while she gathered her breath. "My name is Emmanuelle Lucienne,the daughter of Vivian Lucienne, heir to the Lucienne fortune of France. I am also Emma Dalton, the daughter of Marcus Dalton, the Banshee of Boston." Her words were like a hammer strike through the room.

Leo swallowed thickly, "The Lucienne fortune?"

Emma nodded lightly, "Don't feel bad. Most American's don't know about it. The Lucienne fortune is fabled to be older than France itself- which is highly unlikely… but that's not what you want to know, is it?"

Donnie noticed the tremor to her voice, and pulled her close ever so carefully. She turned to look at him despite the ache from her shoulders. "The amount gives us a better idea of how much of an impact it might have on your safety", he soothed.

Emma bowed her head. "7.9", it was a small whisper.

"See that's not so bad, $7.9 million is…" Donnie paused his cooing when she looked up at him with a grave expression, and shook her head. Don looked up at his brothers while he fumbled for the words. He only managed to sputter the correct number, "$7.9 billion."

The brothers exchanged looks, but Raph broke the thick silence. "So, what about your old man?"

Her mercury eyes brightened making the emerald more impossibly green. A smile curved her lips, "Daddy… Daddy was the gangster to end all gangster. Banshees have always been an omen of death. If someone were to glimpse its shape, or worse, to be the focus of its cry, would mean your days were numbered. That is why they called him the Banshee."

Mikey flopped into a nearby chair, "Honey bunny was right. We should have sat down." He was grinning at the girl while Leo's expression became void.

A wicked smirk curved Raph's lips, "I told you that she sounded like a good time."

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Author's note-

So, first thank you so much to EVERYONE who has reviewed, commented, followed, favorited, left kudos, etc! You mean the world to me, and the constructive reviews have been so helpful! Not to mention between the platforms this story has been posted there have been over 1000 reads- do you know how awesome that makes me feel?! I love you people. Second, I struggled with where to cut this chapter, so I cut it early. Chapter 4: Complexity- will step in with the unfurling details of Emma's family (the good, the bad, and the bloody). Chapter 4 will also be turning up the "heat", and chapter 5 will pretty much a lemon glazing- in case some of you are wondering why I haven't taken full advantage of the rating (I was raised right, and I had to wait till after the third date/chapter).

Random: translations for what Emma said in French:

"Je suis trop pour vous de gérer."

I am too much for you to handle.

"Vous êtes un grand fou."

you are a great fool.

My lovely _Dragon_ has put this one through its paces, so hopefully no mistakes.

As always, please don't forget to tell me how I did! I love reviews since it is direct feedback. There is also a strong correlation between getting reviews/feedback and my motivation to keep writing- the more you tell me the more I will want to write!

Love,

Violet Blak


	4. Complexity

I'm Listening

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon and its creators. I make no monetary profit from this work it is only for entertainment.

Author's Note: 2014 Movie-Verse - Rated M for a reason! This work contains sexual content, violence, and at times dark themes that will become more developed as the story continues- you have been warned. Also, I have messed with the timetable the story is set in current time, but the guys are in their mid twenties- so the events of the movie would have happened around 2004.

Rating Notice: The second half of this chapter is essentially soft smut, so please note the rating.

There is always some madness in love.

But there is also always

some reason in madness.

~Friedrich Nietzche

Chapter 4: Complexity

The girl adjusted her posture on the table as the three brothers took up seats before the table.

The throbbing behind her eyes and from the back of her skull were dulled, but still so very distracting. Which wasn't helping her try to find a proper way to explain her rather difficult family. A deep breath, and her mind replayed her last memories again.

She turned back to Donnie and ignored the uncomfortable pull of stitches, "Did you manage to grab my things?"

Donnie smiled with a nod, and moved to a corner of the lab. He returned with the purple clutch she had carried with her onto that rooftop. A relieved sigh pushed from her lungs when he placed it in her hands. Upon opening it, she found everything in its place. Pulling out her phone she swept her fingers over the screen only to blanch at the time… and the thirty-three notifications.

"Uh-oh", she murmured scrolling through the messages.

Donnie looked over her shoulder, and Emma looked up at each of them. "I need to let them know I'm alive", she sighed.

Leo gave her a nod, and she pressed the device to her ear. Due to their more advanced hearing they were privy to the full conversation.

"Emma?!" A angry female voice answered. "Is it her?" A smaller concerned voice called after the first.

Emma held the phone a little further from her ear with a wince, "Yes."

The other voices moved in before she could say more.

"She's still alive!" the smaller voice chirped.

"Still alive", Emma drawled with a roll of her eyes.

"So, did Donnie boy stand you up?" the more aggressive one pried with a small air of caution.

Emma giggled looking up at Donnie, "Nope."

Shuffling was heard over the line, then the smaller chirped, "Wait, are you with him now?!"

"Well, I guess we'll have to start calling him Don Juan from now on", the more aggressive practically purred.

Donnie sputtered behind her, and his brothers snickered across from him. Emma was too busy smirking at Donnie to respond. The line shifted with mild noise again.

"Who else are are you there with?" the little voice piped up.

"We are with his brothers", Emma replied calmly.

"Really Emma all four? I never thought you were so ambitious!" the aggressive one taunted.

Emma blushed and pinched the bridge of her small nose, but ground out a reply with sharp sarcasm, "Well, you know it's a Saturday night."

The brothers blanched. Mikey's face broke into a nearly maniacal grin, but that faded after a quick smack from Leo. Raph dipped his head in silent chuckle. Donnie was blushing deeply, but kept his attention on Emma.

The two on the other line laughed heartily, before the trouble maker could speak, "Sorry Emmy, but you dropped off the map for six hours… it does make one wonder what you have been up to."

"So, you go straight to orgy?!" Emma barked, but sighed. "You know what? It doesn't matter. I really don't need to know how your decision making process works Victoria. What I do need is for you to cover for me." Her voice leveled with authority.

"They'll want to know when you'll be home", the smaller chirped.

Emma sent a questioning look to Donnie, who whispered in her ear. She nodded, "Tomorrow night."

"Emma, that's a long time to keep them out of the loop", Victoria snipped.

"Its what I need", Emma sighed.

"Why?" Victoria quipped.

"Donnie's family is underground", Her emphasis on the word was a clear message to her family.

The smaller voice whispered quickly, "Like us?"

"Kinda", Emma offered.

"Fine, any preference on what we tell them?"

"I know I'm going to regret this, but no. Just take care of it", Emma rubbed her temple with her free hand.

"As our mistress commands", the little voice cooed.

"Thanks Roxy. Try to keep Victoria from getting too creative", Emma grumbled.

"You got it big sister! Be safe", Roxy giggled and Emma ended the call.

Emma looked up from the phone to find Mikey making hard eye contact. He was out of his seat already, and he prowled closer. Eyeing Emma, he flicked his gaze to Donnie to find he was being watched like a hawk.

The youngest turned back to Emma trying to assume a casual appearance, "So, you have a sister?" Mikey grinned expectantly.

Emma giggled, and Donnie growled over her shoulder. Emma looked up in time to see Donnie mouthing a threat down to the blue eyed turtle. Donnie gave a nervous laugh when he caught her eye, and shoved Mikey back into his seat.

"Just ignore him", Raph offered with a shrug, "It's what we do."

Emma grinned, and sent Mikey a tsk, "I am afraid she's not single."

Mikey nodded with a pout.

"I have to say. We have never had anyone handle this so well", Leo offered a smile.

Emma waved her hand in a motion that it was nothing, "I have been in real hostage situations plenty of times. This", she made a sweeping motion to the lab, "might as well be the Ritz, and all of you have been perfect gentlemen."

Her words had a strong effect on the males in the room, but it was far from the relief she had been aiming for. Both Raph and Donnie's expressions darkened their eye reflecting their vicious intent for anyone who dared lay a hand on such a sweet girl. Leo swallowed thickly. He was still trying to workout just how much danger Emma's money and family would bring to his own clan. Plenty of hostage situations didn't really swing in her favor.

Mikey chortled with a grin, "Babe, I think he meant the big mutant turtle thing."

Emma's mouth formed a little "o" in realization. "I'll try to hyperventilate in the morning?" She offered in jest.

Donnie glowered at her, "Very funny."

She moved to retort, but a large yawn overtook her mouth to form a little mew sound. She raised a hand to politely cover her mouth, and a mild flush spread over her cheeks. For a moment the brothers were certain Donnie was just going to melt into a puddle at the scene. Fortunately, he kept a solid state, so Leo cleared his throat.

"We can pick this up in the morning", he sighed as he made his way out of the lab with Mikey in tow- unwilling to risk leaving the youngest unattended with their new guest. Raph lumbered behind silently. Thus, the couple found themselves alone again.

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Donnie had to hand it to Leo. The eldest had taken it better than expected, and even made a real attempt to be nice to Emma. Though he knew better than to take it as more than a gesture. Equally concerning was the trap set for them by the foot near a prefered exit tunnel, and the second set that had followed them. There was no doubt that Leo would be drilling them on stealth and awareness for weeks. He already earned a lecture for endangering himself, his family, and Emma. His eyes swept over her bandaged back, and noticed the bruising was starting to darken already. She was so fair that the greenish blue hue contrasted sharply on her skin. Then, he noticed her gaze- so sweet and patient. She was smoothing out the sheet that now pooled in her lap.

"Emma, I'm so sorry. You never should have been put in danger", he bowed his head but focused on keeping a steady voice.

Emma sighed, and grasped his hand with both of her own. When he didn't respond she gave the arm a sharp tug. Donnie's gaze snapped to her, and he was met with a stern frown.

"No", she huffed. "You didn't know that your brothers would be followed, so you had no reason to suspect danger."

"I shouldn't have lost track of time like that though", he sighed.

"That was kind of my fault", she blushed, looking up at him shyly.

He chortled, but placed a kiss on the crown of her head. His arms cradled her gently, and her warm honey scent filled his chest. She nuzzled into his neck, and her breath puffed against the sensitive skin there. This was how they got distracted alright. He licked his lips trying to focus on anything besides that delicious sensation of her lips on the trapezius muscles of his neck, or on the warm, moist little puffs of her breath. He needed to say something, anything to draw her attention. Then, she nuzzled again.

"You really aren't afraid at all are you?" the words fell from his mouth before he could help it.

Emma reeled back to look at him from her spot on the table. A confused furrow to her brow, and a cock of her head. "Why would I be?" She appeared so genuinely befuddled.

He gently released her and held his hands in front of her, "Where should I start?" Don muddled his words as he brushed one hand over his now bare chest. He gaze shyly wandered back to hers to find her smiling.

"You're Donnie", she shrugged.

He sent her an exasperated look, and watched her reach out to pull his hand into hers again. For a moment, she ran her fingertips over the scales she found there, then she moved up his forearm. He was bare of all his equipment save the belted solar panels that hung from his hips, and even with the lights of the lab dimmed she could still see him far better than in the shadows of the building he met her on. A smile played on her lips as she traced the imprecise patterns that his darker scales made, and traced to the softer scales of his inner forearm providing a smooth stroke with the grain down to his wrist. The intimate ministrations drew a shudder from his shoulders, and made his hands clench. She held his hand face up, so that the other could trace patterns from his palm to the pads of his fingers.

Emma remained focused on her attentions when she spoke, "I know you Donnie. I know your voice. I know your laugh. I know that the more upset you are the more syllables will be added to your words. I know you are good and kind. So, when I saw you I was afraid, but not afraid of you. I was afraid of what had happened to you… I knew your voice, and I knew you were terrified when I grabbed you hand- when I saw you. I suppose having a background in literature doesn't help when the mind runs to find solutions for what you were, or how you were…"

Her eyes flitted up to him with a blush, "But I knew you, and the moment that I realized you went to pull away… I just didn't care. You were Donnie." A giggle bubbled from her, and she ran the fingertips of one hand across the top of his pectoral scutes,the touch sending heat to his cheeks. "I suppose your evasive behavior recently makes sense with you being a turtle."

He sputtered at her point, but had to bite back a churr when her fingers slipped down his chest. Following the dips and grooves down the central line of his scutes those fingers made heat pool in groin. He managed a rasped, "Emma."

The hand snatched away to his relief and utter disappointment. He found her blushing with her eyes and hands on her lap. She glanced up at him shyly, "Sorry."

"I just wasn't expecting you to take to the differences so quickly", he stammered trying to find some semblance of composure. A woman stroking his chest was not something he had been prepared for, but he had a feeling he might as well burn his mental rule book concerning Emma anyway.

Emma giggled, "I guess Roxy is to thank for that. She has always loved reptiles, and we have always had lizards, snakes, and geckos in the house. We have had Charon for over eight years now I think."

"Charon?" He found his voice again.

Emma smiled shyly, "My whole family has a thing about Greek history. Charon is a iguana Roxy found near a river while she was in school, so…"

"You named him after the ferryman of the river Styx", Donnie finished grinning.

Emma nodded, "He had obviously been someone's pet, but likely got bigger than they had anticipated, and they abandoned him at the river. He's kind of a grumpy old man, but he loves attention. I pet him more than the dog."

"So, you're just used to scales", Donnie smiled down at her.

Emma nodded, and captured his hand again. "Your's are so much nicer though, and much more varied."

Her mercury eyes caught his again, and he knew he was grinning like an idiot, but he really didn't care anymore. There was a beautiful woman who liked his scales, and clearly had no problem showing it. He wanted to thank what ever universal power he had won the favor of. His attention shifted though when she pulled at her dress likely in an attempt to make herself more comfortable in the blood soaked garment.

"April keeps a stash of clothes and supplies down here for when she has to stay. I am sure she wouldn't mind if you took advantage of it", He offered pulling the duffle bag from a corner of the lab. Leo had been the one to suggest it, and they had set it out for when she woke.

Emma eyed the bag, but shifted uncomfortably. She nodded, "Where can I change?"

Don smiled, and scooped her into his arms. He crossed the lab, and into his room with the bag looped over his shoulder. He carefully set her on her feet in front of his bathroom door. He pressed it open, and motioned to the folded linen before setting the bag down before the sink.

"You can't shower with those stitches tonight, but feel free to use anything you like", he smiled sheepishly at her nod before wandering to his bed.

He heard the door creak as she closed it, and he busied himself with removing the clutter from his bedroom. However, when he turned he found she had not closed the door entirely. A small crack provided him with a view to heaven. The iridescent red dress lay in a pool at her feet. She stood on tiptoe to catch her reflection in a mirror mounted for someone over six feet tall. His eyes traveled up the toned creamy flesh of her legs to the full curve of her backside covered by only a thin layer of plum lace. His hands flexed on the pile he held because he knew that curve would fit his hand- even fill it.

The sound of the faucet had him moving. He scurried to the lab to displace the items with trembling hands. The memory of her flesh left him panting. He heard the water stop, and light shuffling. He moved back to the room with his best attempt at calm, but nearly tripped when he saw this time she was digging through the bag on her knees. He bit the inside of his cheek in hopes the pain would keep him from churring. Emma was rooting through the bag in nothing but a pair of black sweatpants and her strapless bra made of that familiar plum lace. She pouted- apparently not finding what she wanted. The plum garment hugged her chest in the most perfect way while leaving the whole top half of her perfect creamy globes as a visual feast. Her figure was symmetrical, and again his fingers flexed against the ache that pulsed through his whole body. Those would fill his hands too. She huffed, and pulled out a oversized hunter green hoodie. The movement made his knees weak as the flesh flexed with the bounce. In a final act of torture she unzipped the front, and thrust her arms into the sleeves, and slipped it on, and the slimmest hint of rose-pink appeared where the lace held her flesh. He actually felt himself sway on his feet, a choked noise pulled from his throat.

Emma looked up at the noise, but saw nothing. "Donnie?"

Donnie took a slow breath, and slumped against the other side of his bedroom door. Thank all that was holy he was a highly trained martial artist, and apparently a peeping-tom. He swallowed thickly, but summoned his voice, "Yeah?"

She slipped around the corner to find him organizing a shelf of scrapped tech. He looked up to see her in the oversized clothes, and her face free of make up. She giggled when he turned to her, "I should put a bell on you."

A blush darkened his cheeks to a royal purple, "Did you lose me?"

She nodded with another mewed yawn.

He sighed, and guided her back to the bed pulling the blankets back. He was pleased when she crawled onto the mattress without a fuss. He tucked the blankets to her frame, but she frowned at him.

"What are you doing?" she sat up.

He lifted an eye ridge, "Tucking you in?"

"Where are you going to sleep?" she huffed.

"oh, um the couch…" he began, but she cut him off.

"No."

"No?" he repeated softly.

She shook her head, but made no move to explain further. When he continued to stare at her she crossed her arms under her chest. Don sighed, who was he to argue? The couch was not terribly comfortable, and Emma was undeniably appealing. He gave her a sharp nod, and stood. He flicked the light switches to the lab and bedroom leaving the room in near total darkness. He silently closed the door to his bedroom while making sure to lock it. He was not going to risk his brothers sneaking in. The dark bolstered his confidence, so he slipped off his goggles, and the belt holding up the solar panels to his waist. It left him in nothing but the fitted athletic shorts which acted like underwear and his bandana. It was as close to naked at he got outside of the shower, and patiently waiting in his bed was Emma.

He placed his glasses on the shelf near his bed, and slid in behind his sweet Emma. Nestled on their sides their size difference was rather amusing. Her small feet danced near the tops of his shins, and her whole torso could settle between his shoulders and waist. The arm he placed testingly around her waist set his elbow near her hip, and his hand near her chin. Emma didn't seem to notice, and snuggled into the position to erase the space between them while drawing his hand into her own- a prefered affection he noted. Her honey and spice scent filled his lungs. A subtle shift from her, and suddenly he was profoundly comfortable. He tucked his head and nuzzled the back of her neck gently. She hummed, and placed a little kiss to his hand in return.

"This is heaven", he mumbled the words into her hair.

She nodded into her pillow, but her voice was a little whisper, "We can make this work, right?"

The words were like an unexpected knife to the chest, and the calculation his mind ran on impulse only made it feel like the blade had been twisted. He took a deep breath, and pushed everything out of his mind. Emma rolled to her back in his arms to peer at him in the darkness. Don leaned down to nuzzle her cheek with his own, and she returned the affection.

His voice was low, but it was solid, "I think if anyone could, then it would be us."

His advanced vision allowed him to see her smile, and her lashes flutter. With her this close he had no need for his glasses, and he didn't miss the way the would have fallen down his face in this position. He leaned forward to place a soft kiss to her lips. Her arms wrapped around his neck instinctively, so he lingered for another. Her hums filled his mouth as he lost count of the little kiss which were quickly turning longer. He shifted to lean over her while supporting himself on his forearms, but her little tugs brought their chests together. He couldn't deny her, not with the way her lips pulled at his own. A churr rolled through him when he tasted her tongue again.

The sound only made her sigh against him, and then she welcomed him by suckling his larger tongue. The sensation pulled a half groan from his throat, and left blood pooling in his groin, his mind easily equating the sensation on his tongue to other sensitive flesh. The wet suction and rolling slick pressure made his pulse hammer in his skull. He pulled away to catch his breath. She only made a little moan at the loss while her hands traced the scales of his shoulders. He could see her flushed cheeks, and hear her little pants. He moved to speak, but there just wasn't enough blood servicing his brain at the moment to form words. So instead he chose to nuzzle her jaw and ear, which earned a giggle.

The bubbling noise of her laughter stoked his courage, and he trailed light kisses on her jawline. Her coos egged him further, and he placed soft kisses down one side of her neck. Emma tilted her head away to fully submit to the affection while her hands stroked his neck and jaw. The little noises she made from the back of her throat turned his testing pecks to a open mouthed lave of his lips over the edge of her collarbone and throat. His lips planting firmly and drawing against any exposed skin he found near her collar. His efforts earned him more of those delicious whimpers and the feel of her body writhing in any attempt to pull him closer. Her skin tasted as much of honey as her lips, and he felt adrift so wonderfully adrift.

He tested his teeth gently over her pulse, and was rewarded with a full moan while her hands seized on his shoulders. This required further study, so he continued his nips upwards until he found the tender flesh near her earlobe. That earned a sharp cry, and the nuzzle of that skin cause her hips to buck. A deep breath filled his lungs and soon after his bloodstream with her scent- the spice to it sharpening. Her obvious arousal made him feel drunk. In his stupor he felt her shift to pay him similar attention. His smart Emma littered his neck with slow open mouth kisses. He gripped the mattress firmly and shifted to completely cover her with his body, leaning down to allow her complete access to his sensitive throat. When her scalding little tongue flicked over the joint of his neck and collar it pulled a shuttered churr from his chest.

The sound made her hips buck again, but this time the new position allowed them to crest his, and feel exactly how aroused he was. He stilled at the sensation of her hot core ghosting over the most sensitive part of his body. Emma must have notice his stall, and sank her teeth into just the right spot of his neck. A guttural grunt that he barely recognized as his own punctuated the bite. He captured her lips harshly as she bucked again, but this time he churred against her tongue as he sank his hips to hers in a slow deliberate arc.

In his normal mind he would have been awash with concerns in this moment. Concerned over how he was probably felt larger and just overall different than the average human male, and attempt to calculate the correct pressure to achieve pleasurable friction. However, in his pheromone inebriated mind he only concerned himself with the feel of her heat, and the soul-pleasing realization that she was so thoroughly aroused by him... for him. The sound of his name in a broken gasp fueled a hand into motion. Balanced on one forearm near her head he slid the other hand from her waist to grip her hip as he rolled his hips into her again making sure to allow every inch of his length to press against her clothed core.

Her head fell to the side with a broken moan, but he wanted more. His hand swept over the edge of her hip, and rounded to cup one of the firm cheeks of her rear. He applied a testing squeeze, then with a firm grip he stroked the back of her toned thigh through the fabric before returning to possessively grip the ample curve of her ass again. His reward came as those delectable noises from her throat. Her body easily molded to his hands with a pleasant mixture of softness and tone that he never dreamed he would be able to touch. There was nothing in his life as satisfying as being between his Emma's legs, nothing. Then, her legs bent at the knee, and she raised them- dragging them along his sensitive sides so that her shins lay against the edge of his carapace and the heels of her feet along his hips.

It was a surreal thing. He never thought a woman would ever embrace his affections, and that his shell would only complicate and distract from any intimacy, yet Emma's shift to their position seemed to unite them as more than he thought possible. The positioning of her legs connected them, so that every move he made she felt, and allowed her whole body welcome him. Her hands fluctuated between gripping at his shoulders, stroking his upper arms, or where his carapace met his back. Her lips sought out his own in heated kisses or pursued his neck where he relished in the flourishes of her tongue and teeth. Her sounds were hushed. He was praised with low moans, light gasps, rough little whimpers from the back of her throat, and best of all his name in clear, pleading whispers. Something about her subtle sounds and loud actions only deepened his adoration for the woman beneath him.

He kept his pace even, the scientist in him wanting to sample her whole body before he lost himself entirely in their motions. His hand slipped under the hoodie to feel the tender flesh of her flat stomach then up over her ribs. Emma seemed to understand his agenda, and arched upward and into his hand as it topped the swell of her breast. She gasped at his gentle grip, but yipped when his hand sharply left her. Her relief came quickly though as the harsh sound of the zipper was yanked down. He stilled his hips at the feast before him, but then resumed by languidly grind his hips into hers. Her chest heaved with her pants, the globes still straining mildly against the lace bra with each breath. A churr rolled from him, and through her whole body, calling another delightful whimper.

His warm hand returned to her chest with another full measured grip, but then he applied a twist of the wrist smoothing his thumb over her covered peak. He marveled at the firm yet yielding texture of her flesh, and her sharp pants and high pitched cries. He allowed his hand to drift back down to her rolling hips. He shifted her up, and dipped his head to taste the honeyed flesh, but took care to slowly nuzzle the fragrant skin between them. He traced his lips over her right breast completely delighting in the feel of her heartbeat against his tongue. He drew the slick muscle over the top of the full swell before skimming the lace that restrained it, and finally dipped beneath to savor the rose colored succulent flesh. Emma cupped his head, moaning his name, and arched her spine to show her eagerness.

Yet, when she reached the peak of the beautiful arch he felt her body still. An alarm when off in his drunken mind, and then panic. The faint scent of rich, savory metallic blood reached his senses. He pulled away sharply, but held her in place. Peering down at her panting form he found her eyes pinched closed, and her upper lips raised in a sign of pain. It reversed the direction of his mind and blood flow.

"Your stitches..." he mumbled, and shifting her form gently, he stood with her.

She made a grumbling noise, but a small hiss cut her words short. Emma made no move to stop Donnie as he set her down and stripped her of the hoodie. His warm hands gingerly tested her wound, and found she had popped two of her stitches. He set about repairing the damage. He worked in oppressive silence, a lecture rolling in his head. How could he forget that she had a huge wound? How?

He was growling to himself by the time he rebandaged her, but almost choked on the sound when Emma turned, carefully, to glare at him.

"Donnie", she spoke in a warning tone.

"It's my fault", he clenched his fists, and fought the childish urge to look away when her eyes locked on his mockingly.

"You're right", she sighed.

His head cocked at the words. He had expected more of a fight. He watched her in a way that was normally reserved for spiders on a wall while she pulled the hoodie back on, and zip it up.

"You're right. It's all your fault." She looked at him sternly, and yanked on his nearby bandana tails to make sure she had his full attention. "It's your fault for kissing me. It's your fault for ravishing me. It's your fault that I was so close to orgasm that I completely forgot about my stitches. Finally, it's your fault that I would do it all over again." Her eyes were alight with her pride and mischief, and she licked her lips when his eyes went wide somewhere around the word orgasm.

Donnie sighed, and allowed his form to slump. "I'm not going to win many arguments in this relationship, am I?" He grumbled, pulling her up and into his arms again headed for the bed.

Emma only smirked as he settled them in the rumpled bedding. They settled into their more innocent first position once more, and Donnie sighed. Under his gaze Emma slipped into sleep easily with his free hand placing long strokes down her side. With each pass his hand cupped the full curve of her hip, the dip of her waist, and he played his fingers along her arm. The motion was having an almost equal effect on himself, and he relaxed behind her. The spice of her earlier scent lingered around them as the pheromones began to fade, and the warmth of her honey based scent leveled. He breathed deeply savoring the last of her spice, and cursed her wound. She would be healed in a few weeks though…

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Author's note-

So, first thank you so much to EVERYONE who has reviewed, commented, followed, favorited, left kudos, etc! You mean the world to me, and the constructive reviews have been so helpful!

We are now over 2000 reads across all the platforms this is posted! Do you know how awesome that makes me feel?! I love you people!

Second, I had meant for this chapter to be the detail reveal of her family secrets, but instead I wrote a love scene. Soooo, now Chapter 5: A Family Matter- will step in with the unfurling details of Emma's family (the good, the bad, and the bloody). I will try harder to actually develop plot again.

My lovely Dragon has now beta'd this, so hopefully no mistakes.

As always, please don't forget to tell me how I did! I love reviews/comments since it is direct feedback. There is also a strong correlation between getting reviews/feedback and my motivation to keep writing- the more you tell me the more I will want to write!

Love,

Violet Blak


	5. This Seems Serious

**I'm Listening**

 **Disclaimer:** Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon and its creators. I make no monetary profit from this work it is only for entertainment.

 **Author's Note: 2014 Movie-Verse -** Rated M for a reason! This work contains sexual content, violence, and at times dark themes that will become more developed as the story continues- you have been warned. Also, I have messed with the timetable the story is set in current time, but the guys are in their mid twenties- so the events of the movie would have happened around 2004.

 **Warning** : This VERY short chapter is just fluff with a dash of smut. Don't say I didn't warn you.

I represent to you all the sins

you have never had the courage to commit.

-Oscar Wilde

 **Chapter 5: This Seems Serious**

Awareness crept around the edges of Donatello's senses. Warmth, steady warmth in his arms made him shift. A deep breath filled his chest with rich honey and subtle spices, Emma. His mind gently offered her name with the night's events playing over his synapsis like an echo. His fingers could feel her soft skin, skin that he now knew tasted of honey. His eyes opened to find himself on his back with his right arm cradling his head under his pillow, and his left held Emma. She lay on her side facing away from him with her cheek nestled to his bicep. That arm was bent at the elbow to grip her to him while his hand fell into the dip of her waist. Those fingers had worked under the hoodie, and traced the petal-soft flesh. Her breathing was even, features appearing peaceful, and her long raven hair was tousled in the most pleasant way.

Ever so carefully he pulled the arm from under his own head, and reached for his T-Phone. The screen flickered once. He smiled, they still had an hour before Leo would be after any of them for training. Emma shifted slightly and sighed. He felt her body stretch alongside his own, and he smiled at the little grumble she made no doubt at her tender back. Heavy lashes fluttered twice before twin pools of mercury opened to the still dark room. There was no alarm, no shock just a little huff before she settled back into his arm.

She turned slightly and pouted, her voice was pure velvet from slumber, "You're so far away."

He couldn't wipe the grin from his face if he tried, and he rolled to spoon her again. He nuzzled into her hair and neck, "Forgive me." His voice was rough from sleep, but the words still carried the sarcasm he intended.

She only smirked and relaxed, her words a mumble as sleep pulled at her again, "Maybe."

He snorted at her, and moved to pull away to teach her a lesson, his fingers grazing over her side as he pulled his left arm from under her. She erupted in giggles and made a desperate attempt to roll away. He tested the motion again while she struggled, and was rewarded with louder, fuller laughter and a better attempt at thrashing to get away. Child-like delight filled him. His Emma was ticklish, very ticklish. He locked his left arm at her waist and gently trailed the fingers of his right hand along the exposed skin of her waist.

"Donnie...no", her eyes pleaded with him as she stretched to look at him over shoulder.

A wicked grin curled his lips, "I don't know. This seems serious. I should fully examine the problem."

Her eyes narrowed, but then flew open as he moved those fingers lightly, sharply over her skin. She yelped and struggled against his hold. Her legs flailed, and he rolled his lower body to apply more pressure while lifting one leg. It split hers putting her weight on the lower, and his bent leg forced hers to bend and lift away. She growled between her bubbling laughter, clearly not pleased he could suppress her so easily. Her face flushed and her breath came in pants.

"Heel!" she yelped, but he only doubled his efforts learning her hip bones were even more ticklish than her waist.

"Please!", she begged.

He relented, but kept his hold. Donnie felt impossibly smug as her body began to relax into the new position. Emma's higher leg settled over his, and she squirmed to become comfortable. She sighed at the feel of his lips on the back of her head and he could feel her relax completely again.

"Evil reptile", she snickered, flicking her eyes to glance at him over her shoulder.

He lifted an eye ridge in a silent dare. He was certain his face would be sore from how wide he was grinning. Emma smiled sweetly, but then her mouth fell open in a fit of giggles. He frowned, but in a moment her giggles were explained. He felt himself blush and his joints lock. It was his tail...he had literally wagged his tail, and due to their new position the end of his tail fell somewhere near the knee of her lower leg. Specifically, the back of her knee which was possibly the most ticklish point of her body yet. Another riggle of his tail had her snap to bend trapping his equally sensitive tail in the bend of her knee.

He heard himself choke before he realized that he had gasped for breath- getting a healthy amount of saliva with the new oxygen. He gasped again resulting in a grating wheezing noise. The pain of the fluid burning down his windpipe into his lungs was the only thing that distracted him from the delicious pressure the bend of her leg applied. Now, if he wasn't aspirating on his own saliva he would have rationalized that in his playful excitement his tail had all but begged. He had the longest tail of his brothers which made it more dexterous, and when they were children an easy target for pranks. Years of training and their rather rough lifestyle had made all of the brothers get into the habit of carefully tucking their tails into the lip of their lower carapace for safety. However, this had always been a task since his own tail fell nearly half way down his thigh, so he was the worst about "relaxing" it if anything for comfort.

However, after puberty their tails had also proven to be highly sensitive in more carnal ways. This seemed odd since their actual genitals were rather "human" by location, shape and function. Yet, those powerful nerves sent nearly the same signals to his brain as his those in his member. The reaction of the warm heavy pressure on his tail sent heat pooling in his groin and pulled a churr from his chest even as he coughed and gasped chopping up the low sound. His breath came in choppy pants and sputters as he tried to breath and remove the liquid from his chest.

In all this chaos, Emma had only shifted to better look at him over her shoulder in concern. Her position didn't allow her enough movement to do more. She lazily relaxed her leg away while yawning, "Is that your tail?"

When he only continued to pant she smirked deviously and shifted her hips- confirming the presence of his new erection pressing against the curve of her backside. In a sinful teasing voice she whispered, "Is your tail tender Donnie?"

He could only respond with another weeze. She only smirked, "It seems serious. I should fully examine the problem."

Now, she was just mocking him, and what was worse… he loved it. Just as he finally got a good deep breath she rolled her hips in a long sure stroke across his length that nearly made him choke again. He managed to keep his breath though, and gripped her thigh to angle her full rump better against his now throbbing length. His churr was met with a breathy little noise. There was no longer enough blood servicing his brain. His hand only needed to slip a little higher to reach her heat, but his grip on her thigh gave him the perfect amount of pressure and torque. His other hand reached from under her to grasp at her breasts giving the globes measured squeezes earning more of those soft moans.

He dipped his head to taste her neck, and took a deep breath. Some scrap of his mind fired, and he abruptly released her. He slowly eased back and off of his sweet Emma. She rolled to her back under him trying to catch her breath. He swallowed thickly at the heady spice that filled him, her scent again. She was lazily looking him over and brushing her tousled hair from her face.

"Donnie?" she cooed his name gently.

He waited for the chastisement. She would surely be upset at being handled so … inappropriately. Granted it wasn't too far from what they had done before bed, but still she was a beautiful, kind, elegant woman not a toy. Not to mention she was injured, and might not appreciate the rough handling. She was his Emma, and deserved respect in all levels of their budding relationship. She might not be afraid, but she still might be offended. He had just started… his thoughts skittered away at her still sinful voice.

"You ok?" she smiled gently up at him.

He managed a nod.

She bit her lip for a moment, no doubt arranging her thoughts before looking up at him with that playful smile. The one that made his heart leap against his ribs. She lifted one delicate hand and hooked a finger on the beads he wore around his neck. One little tug.

"Play with me some more?"

One more tug and he eased down to cover her body completely with his own again. The shift allowed him the leverage to properly plunder her honey flavored mouth. Her hands cradled his jaw and he could taste her soft whimpers. This was how he wanted to wake up everyday for now on. Though in the back of his mind he knew that this ease between them came from how long they had known each other in an intellectual way, and now they were desperate to fill in the gaps of the skipped physical interactions they would have had if they were in a normal relationship. It was a common phenomenon for online relationships that came to the real world, and statistically his research had shown that it might fizzle out.

He pulled away to glance down at the flushed raven beauty beneath him. He wasn't concerned about this being too fast, or that he could ever lose interest in Emma. He returned to her, and he bit back a groan as she lazily set to work on his neck. For Emma's part she seemed equally as eager and solid in her decision- the decision to be with him… a mutant. She also appeared to be interested in a real and complete relationship with him, and both fully comprehended how difficult that would be for both parties. She returned to his lips with a slow languid kiss. For right now though it was early, and they were safely locked away from their families, responsibilities, and worries. It was just them savoring their first morning together. Hope lingered in his mind that this was just the beginning of these mornings.

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Author's note-

First, THANK YOU so much to EVERYONE who has reviewed, commented, followed, favorited, left kudos, etc! You mean the world to me, and the constructive reviews have been so helpful!

Second, how much do you want to kill me?! I know it's short, but I have a good reason… In the real world, I am starting a new job, playing candy striper for a friend fresh out of surgery, my 1st wedding anniversary is Sunday, Father's day is Sunday, and finally I also had to work this whole week and weekend. Did I mention I am an antisocial introvert boarding on full recluse. Yet, I didn't want to give up my publish (at least) once every 2 weeks, so that's why there is like 25% of a chapter up there that is pretty much just fun smut with absolutely no movement to the plot. Soooo, now Chapter 6: A Family Matter- will step in with the unfurling details of Emma's family. I will try harder to actually develop plot again… I promise.

Third, here is my explanation on the _**Churr**_ for all of my stories. I have read lots of different descriptions of the sound, but they were varied. So, god help me! I researched it, and found the sound gets deeper with the size of the turtle. So, huge galapagos tortoises' churrs are so low you almost can't hear it, but you can feel it in the air. Which is why I portray the boys with the deep vibrating rumble. There that's it.

Fourth, a explanation on the _**Anatomy**_ of the guys for this story. So, I have a simple basis for the Mutant turtle genitals. I don't want them to be too realistic (turtle-wise) because then they wouldn't be able to have carnal relation with human women- so, they are large, but able to make it work. There is also argument that along with the mutagen they were exposed to human DNA, hence there other human (totally non-turtle features: lips, opposable thumbs, teeth, etc) . I have gone with external genitalia for the 2014 boys since they wear clothes. That is really my main reason, why wear pants, panels, and wraps if there is nothing to hide? Since this is not true with the other universes I will only apply this to my writings in the 2014 universe.

My lovely **Dragon** has put this through the ringer, so hopefully no mistakes.

 **Reviews** are incredibly important to me because they are my only real way to gauge the audience. I welcome all feedback, so please let me know how I did!

Love,

Violet Blak


	6. A Family Matter

**I'm Listening**

 **Disclaimer:** Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon and its creators. I make no monetary profit from this work it is only for entertainment.

 **Author's Note: 2014 Movie-Verse -** Rated M for a reason! This work contains sexual content, violence, and at times dark themes that will become more developed as the story continues- you have been warned. Also, I have messed with the timetable the story is set in current time, but the guys are in their mid twenties- so the events of the movie would have happened around 2004.

 _ **Author's Note: I'm so sorry this is sooooo late! I wrote this about four times total, and I still don't really think I got it right… Again so sorry for how late this is!**_

When everything goes to hell,

the people who stand by you without flinching

-they are your family.

~Jim Butcher

 **Chapter 6: A Family Matter**

The eldest terrapin stood in the living room of the lair. Specifically, he was staring at the couch. The empty and undisturbed couch. His brow furrowed over sapphire eyes. If there was one thing about Donnie was that he was not an early riser. So, the lankiest of his brothers should- in theory- still be strewn across said couch. Yet, the couch was completely untouched from the previous day's gaming marathon Mikey had spent glued to it. Leo's grip locked on the mug in his right hand, threatening to crack the ceramic and spill the scalding tea onto the hatefully empty couch.

"What has you pissed this early?" Raph's words were more grunt than english, but it pulled Leo's glare to the largest of his brothers.

"Where's Don?" The blue-banded brother ground the words out.

Raph's eyes widened with understanding, but a smirk curved his scarred lips. His toothpick bobbed once before he answered, "I bet I could guess."

"Breakfast is ready!" Mikey's voice called in a sing-song tone.

Leo swiftly moved to the kitchen to find Mikey dishing out eggs, bacon, and waffles. He would have taken some pride in how the youngest had stepped up to make a lovely meal for their guest. He would have, if the coffee pot didn't sit on the counter, empty and untouched. Don always set the coffee maker before bed. The smell of that tar was one of the only things that could wake the purple banded brother.

"Where's Don?" Leo barked again, but made no move to look away from the coffee maker.

"Well, I know where I would be if I was Donnie", Mikey snickered around his large glass of orange juice.

Leo took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and finally released it. He heaved a sigh, but settled at the table in their kitchen. He piled food onto his plate, and ate without bringing up the topic again. Instead he replayed his conversation with Don the previous night. He had practically dragged Don out of the lab.

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When they arrived in the dojo it had taken all his patience not to put his brother to the floor. After all, Don had always been his most reliable and competent brother, and in truth Donatello was his second in command because Leo trusted his judgement. Don stood in front of him with a stern expression. He would have been pleased with the resolve in the genius's eyes- if it wasn't that he was resolved against him that is.

"Leo I can't just leave her. She's injured!" Don moved to leave.

"You said she was stable and probably wouldn't wake for a while." Leo blocked his retreat.

Don frowned, but nodded.

"I want you to tell me what I need to know about you and this girl. I want you to tell me in simple terms because it has been a long night, and I am in no mood to decipher your scientific explanation of this." Leo spoke slowly, and made no move to pull the venom from his voice.

Don sighed, "Her name is Emma Dalton. About a year ago I fixed her computer when she dropped it off after hours at the store."

Leo nodded for him to continue, and relaxed his stance.

"We became pen pals through email. She was nice, she was easy to talk to, and we had a lot in common." Don began pacing the length of the dojo to distract himself.

"What could you possibly have in common?" Leo scoffed.

"She likes math, she is a huge Tesla fan, and our music collections mirror each other. We enjoy lots of the same subjects, but from different points of view." Don smiled.

Leo only lifted an eye ridge.

"I study sciences because I use them and I am good at them. She studies the effect the sciences have on the world… how they change it. She gets my references, she's funny, and she so smart…"

"But you never told her WHAT you were?" Leo frowned.

"Of course not!" Don barked.

"You could have fooled me! She didn't seem too shocked!"

"Trust me that wasn't what I was expecting!"

Leo took a breath, "Then how did you go from pen pals to what I saw earlier tonight?"

"About 6 months ago, when Mikey was poisoned… I called her."

The eldest gaped, unable to find words. Leo gave up on his search for words, and pinched the bridge of his blunt nose.

Don swallowed thickly, "After that our relationship kinda left the realm of friendship and took on a much more romantic connotation. I have spoken to her almost daily since that call, and I never thought she would be so accepting."

"How did you even know what she looked like?" Leo sighed.

Don blushed darkly and cast his gaze sheepishly to the floor. His words were mumbled, and the choppy tone was more befitting a 14 year old Donatello. "I might have scoured the digital world for the one photo of her that her school had published with an article on her when she graduated last christmas."

"She just graduated? How old is she?!" Leo bellowed.

Don chuckled, "She's 26. It was her fourth degree."

Leo's anger seemed to deflate, but it was replaced with an eye roll. "So, she had no inkling of what you were or what you would look like when you went to meet her tonight?"

"She had no idea. I had hoped to stick to the shadows at first and let her think it was a ornate costume, but she rushed to me and took my hand", Don smiled at the memory.

"And then?" Leo urged.

"She was shocked, but she held onto me, and told me she was listening."

Leo frowned, "No scream?"

Don shook his head a childish grin splitting his features, "And she listened to the whole story, and then she kissed me … or maybe I kissed her? That part is a little fuzzy."

Leo dragged a hand down his face, "What do you mean the whole story?"

Don smile turned nervous, "I told her everything. Well, a simplified version of everything."

Leo was dizzy with rage, "You what!?"

Donatello was relatively unfazed, and the taller reptile squared his shoulders, "Leo you are my older brother, and I have never defied you. I have never risked our safety. To be honest I am probably the one who has done the most work to ensure our day to day safety. So, when I tell you that she makes me happy, that she means a great deal to me, and that I will fight for her, take me seriously. I never thought any of us would have someone like Emma in our lives, and least of all did I think it would be me. However, Emma is in my life, and until she is proven to be an enemy I will not turn my back on her. She has been the favorite part of my day for a year, and I refuse to give up something that feels so right and natural without a fight. So, please don't make me fight you every step of the way. As long as we have control of the situation we can keep everyone involved safe. I would never have jeopardized our safety, but I want a chance to try..."

Leo blinks, "It's not that simple Don."

"Try telling her that", Don laughed

Leo sighed, "She will be your responsibility, and I have a right to question each step... But I will try not to fight you."

Don had moved to thank him, but that was the moment Mikey rushed into the dojo for Donnie.

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It still felt strange. Donatello, his most reliable brother, was currently the worst example. He was risking everything for a woman. Granted a beautiful woman. That didn't change the fact that she was also dangerous, wealthy, and connected to the criminal underworld. A growl rumbled in Leo's chest when said turtle ambled into the kitchen.

"You didn't sleep on the couch", Leo rumbled from the table.

Don grinned impishly, "Nope."

Mikey fist bumped Raph from across the table.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Leo rolled his eyes at the behavior at the table.

Don mumbled while fussing over the coffee maker, but the words hung in the air. "She likes my scales."

"Yeah she does!" Mikey cheered from the table.

"Where's doll-face?" Raph snickered.

"Well, I didn't want her loose in the lair. She has such a rich scent that sensei won't miss it when he gets back tomorrow. I want to be able to tell Father about this on my own- not because I got caught." Don grumbled, eyeing Leo as he sat with his coffee.

"So, she's trapped in the lab until we leave?" Mikey frowned.

Don nodded.

"Poor honey bunny! Is she hungry?" Mikey whined.

Don sighed, "No, the medication I gave her has really left her with no appetite."

"You sure it's not just you?" Raph grunted with a smirk.

Donnie smirked into his cup, but said nothing.

"Dude, low blow", Mikey snorted, moving towards the kitchen's doorway.

"Where are you going?"

"Nature calls", Mikey grinned before slipping out.

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It was really just too easy, but Mikey was careful to use his well trained stealth to make his way into the lab. Easing the door closed behind him he was pleased to find the lab in normal order. He smiled at the sound of the faucet, and the tell-tale sound of a toothbrush. The sounds came to an end, and he cleared his throat.

"Emma?" He called softly.

The raven haired girl all but skipped out of the bathroom. "Hi, Mikey right?"

She was using April's spare brush to smooth out her hair. There was no discomfort to her face. If anything it looked like she was happy for the company. He couldn't tell which made him more giddy, that she was excited to see her mutant boyfriend's brother or that she smelled like a honey coated Donatello.

"Yah, Donnie said you were stuck in the lab, so I thought I would check in", Mikey tried to tame his smile from the ear to ear grin he was wearing.

"Really?" Emma grinned, kneeling to replace the brush in the duffle bag.

"Are you sure you don't want breakfast, honey bunny? I can bring you something up to you", Mikey offered with a flourish and a deep bow.

Emma giggled, and shook her head. "No, I am just afraid to get sick. I already set someone on fire last night, do we really need to add that to the list of my skills?"

Mikey snickered, but nodded. "Anything you want to do?"

Emma appeared thoughtful for a moment as she ambled up to him. Then, she exploded with energy grasping his arm in her excitement. "Could you pull up today's news? I forgot to ask Donnie before he went down to see you guys."

Mikey couldn't help but feed off of her joy, and wrapped an arm around her waist to guide her to the wall of screens. "We are going to have a blast!"

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Donnie stood to pour a second cup of coffee when Mikey strutted back into the kitchen. Mikey brushed past him to get to the toaster. The scent of honey and chai drifted into his half caffeinated brain. He cocked his head and sampled the air again to confirm.

"What did you do?" Donnie loomed over his younger brother.

"I check on Emma- she was hungry", Mikey shrugged.

Donnie sputtered, "What were you thinking?"

Mikey shrugged, "I know, I know she said she wasn't hungry, but if I heard her stomach growl one more time I was going to growl back. Besides how was I supposed to focus on your girlfriend's running down economics and trade policies, blah blah blah dude she is mad smart, but her tummy is loud!"

Donnie gaped like a fish out of water. Mikey had been gone for 20 minutes, but that wasn't that out of the norm for his younger brother. The toast popped up, and the crisp sound triggered his first thought.

"You have been with Emma this whole time?"

Mikey nodded with a grin as he buttered the toast. He turned to rummage through their makeshift pantry. Donnie leaned in to see Mikey had severely burned the toast, and the charred smell was strong.

"You trying to poison her numb nuts?" Raph chuffed from the table.

Mikey whooped as he found his prize- a honey bear. flicking the top open he doused the blackened toast with the rich glaze. "Nah, she asked for burnt toast."

"It will help. It will absorb any of the left over pain meds in her system", Donnie offered setting a firm glare on his features.

"I figure if she smells like honey she must like the stuff, and it can help mask the burnt taste. Two birds with one stone bro!" Mikey grinned scooping up the plate with a glass of water.

All four brothers marched back to the lab. At the doorway Mikey began crooning, "I bring gifts of honey for the honey bunny!"

Donnie froze as he stepped into his own lab. There before his new and improved wall of screens sat his Emma in his chair. She spun with a broad smile. She looked adorably ridiculous in the chair made to fit his size. Her hair had been spun into a loose bun, with a pencil holding it in place. Half the screen were covered in graphs the other half in news articles.

"What are you doing?" Leo half mumbled, approaching the girl.

She giggled, "Well, I could be balancing a crisis because one of the companies that makes the basic medical supplies that one of my companies uses, daily, just had a major accident, and I had to decide on a replacement on the fly while sorting through the legal side too. Or… you know plotting to take over the world." Her voice was playful and quick as she took the plate from Mikey.

Raph grunted staring at the graphs, "Are these even in english?"

"Most of them", Emma shrugged, "Oh yay, I love honey!"

Donnie numbly came to stand between Emma and Leo, equally mesmerized by the color-coded wonders on the screen. "You did this in 20 minutes?" He whispered sharply.

Emma blushed lifting a piece of charred toast, "I know it's a little messy now, but I'll clean it up more tomorrow."

Donnie snorted, but noticed something on the central screen, "Did you change my settings?"

Emma rolled her eyes, "Don't worry. It was just your mouse- its settings are shameful."

"What?!" Donnie barked.

Emma only smiled. Her eyes sparkled with her playful nature, and her grin taunted him- like a fox in a hen house. A giggle bubbled up from her, but she lifted a hand to hide it. "I said it was shameful," she offered with a flutter of her lashes.

The brothers could actually see the conflict on Donatello's face. Half of the lanky reptile wanted to melt at the obvious flirtation while the other wanted to throttle the petite human. He sputtered a few times before he leaned down to chuff at her. Emma only giggled more as he pushed the chair away to correct her tampering.

"This is so much more fun in person", she grinned before popping more toast into her mouth.

Mikey was too busy watching the couples interactions to see the frown that marred Leo's features. Leo paced up to the pair, "You left her alone with our security system?"

Emma cocked her head as she chewed, but said nothing.

"Leo, all she did was read the news and open her google account to access these documents", Donnie lifted an eye ridge.

Emma looked between them, "Did he think that I had the skill set to tamper with this?"

Her incredulous tone made Don snicker.

Leo waved a hand in dismissal, "All warfare is based on deception."

The girl reached out to rap her knuckles on Donnie's shell. When he turned she made a great show of whispering, "Why is you brother quoting Sun Tzu to me? I know that I am not putting your family in a great position, but really he is going to lead with The Art of War?!"

Raph chuckled from his seat near Mikey. Mikey leaned over to snag a piece of the charred toast, and to fist bump the girl. Leo rolled his eyes, but remained silent.

Donnie played along, "He is not used to being out of control, so this is him trying."

Emma glanced at the now flabbergasted Leo, then whispers, "He didn't know that I have a graduate degree in literature, and an undergraduate in ancient and Eastern lit… did he?"

Don only smirked, "No. I hadn't worked that into conversation yet."

Emma glared coyly at him, "Really?! We only met last fall because you saved my dissertation?"

Don shrugs, again ignoring his brothers.

"Wait that's how you met? I thought you fixed her computer?" Raph grunted from his seat.

Emma smiled, "I had just finished typing the paper when my dog ate my laptop. Donnie was the one to repair it, and salvage the paper/dissertation which is kind of the ultimate final for a masters."

Mikey and Raph nodded from their ringside seats.

She continued, "And I grasp this situation, and its dangers a lot more than you might think. It's perfectly acceptable not to like me. To be honest I wouldn't like me if the roles were reversed. I have breached a necessary level of containment and secrecy necessary for your whole family to continue on safely. I unfortunately have quite a bit of experience with these situations myself."

"You do?" Leo is still skeptical.

The raven haired girl frowned at her toast before casting her mercury gaze back to the eldest, "You have no idea."

"And you're not offended…?" Leo ventured.

"No, I mean I have your job in my family, so I get it really. Just don't start quoting great works to me." She looked up from what she was doing, "You will lose that fight."

The eldest grabbed a seat, and rolled up to where his brothers had gathered.

Emma smiled warmly, and tapped her lips in thought. A moment passed before she spun the chair back to the controls. Rather than wait for Donatello to move she simply typeed away beneath his looming figure. Don looked across the screens as the graphs began to be replace with photos, family photos.

"Who are they?" Mikey asked looking at the images that take over the screens

Emma threw him a wink, "They are my family. I logged into my "cloud" for some of my family photos. It's not such an easy story to tell, so I thought visual aids would be helpful."

She stood, and passed Mikey the plate. Then, after a quickly dusting away the crumbs she pushed the chair to Donnie who sat carefully. Again she tapped her lips with an index finger, but her expression softened.

"I have never done this before, so forgive me if it's a bit of a clumsy explanation", her cheeks flushed lightly at the admission, but she continued. "I'll start with my mother's side- it's simpler at least."

The brothers nodded, and she motioned to the set of photos on the far left, "That is my grandfather and grandmother, Mason and Georgiana Lucienne. My grandfather was the heir to the Lucienne family as the eldest child, but he fell in love with my grandmother, his childhood sweetheart- and the maid's daughter."

"Dum Dum Dum!" Mikey sang from his seat.

Emma nodded, "Exactly, so he chose her and the family disowned him and removed his access to the money."

Raph smirked, "How long did that last?"

Emma appeared unphased, "Their marriage was going on 72 years till Grandfather had a stroke about 5 years ago."

Raph leaned back in pleasant disbelief, "You don't say?"

Emma nodded, "See grandfather started from scratch with grandmother. He was a very well educated lawyer though, and they lived comfortably in a middle class neighborhood until my mother was in college. My grandfather's sister passed away, and she had made my grandfather the heir again, and they inherited everything. So, my mother saw it as troublesome and hated the science of money."

She moved down to the next set of photos which featured a young couple. The young woman could have passed for Emma, but her eyes were a deep blue, and she looked bored. The man was ruggedly handsome with dark hair and beard. His eyes caught the brother's notice though- his mercury green eyes. "That is my mother Vivian and my father Marcus."

"As I told Donnie my mother was a Forensic Anthropologist who was specialized to work on digs and in museums, and my father- well that's where it gets complicated." She frowned.

Mikey turned to Donnie as Emma looked at the photos. The youngest sent him a confused look.

Donnie mouthed, "Kinda like Indiana Jones."

Mikey nodded with a thumbs up.

"Well, to be safe we can use their code names… that should be ok", Emma thought out loud.

"Code names?" Donnie asked teasingly.

Emma nodded, "Yah, it's kind of a family joke. When grandfather built the family estate he named it Olympus, and once my father and his band of merry men joined the family they made up these silly greek code names. They are useful though."

"Dude so not fair! My code names got vetoed", Mikey pouted.

Emma giggled, "My father and mother were Zeus and Hera."

"This is my uncle, code name Aries", Emma motioned to what looked like another photo of her father. Emma seemed to notice the confusion, and added, "His twin brother."

"Evil twin brother?!" Mikey chirped, but scuttled away from Raph's fist.

"Not quite, but well hmmm… my father and uncle came to the US at the age of 9 with their mother. Problem was their father, who claimed to have set up a nice home for them, was nowhere to be found when they got here. But they made ends meet, and settled in Boston. Unfortunately, a few months in their mother caught pneumonia, and soon after so did Aries. My father started pick pocketing and pulling petty robbery to afford the doctor, but he ended up in jail when he got caught. As a minor they just held him overnight, but that night, a man told him to go see the Banshee. He was an old gangster who liked to serve a side of charity with his criminal works."

"So, your father joined the gang run by the Banshee?" Leo asked.

Emma nodded, "The old man paid for their medical care, but their mother still passed away. Aries survived though, and the old man liked them. Uncle Aries is fantastic with creating systems for, well anything, and my father is fantastic at implementing them."

"But?" Raph rolled his wrist in an insistent motion.

"Someone accidentally killed a very important member of a rival gang, and it started a feud. Which aren't that uncommon in that lifestyle, but the rival gang didn't move in a slow tit for tat motion. They managed to trap all but 4 of the Banshee members in one building for a slaughter." Emma's eyes darkened, but she continued.

"My father and uncle were some of the survivors, along with my "uncle" Hercules and "uncle" Poseidon but they were still just teenagers. So, when they plotted their revenge it was in small isolated events."

"How did they do that?" Leo huffed, he was only mildly curious after all.

"Oh, mostly scare tactics with isolated kills", Emma shrugged.

"So, they picked 'em off one at a time?" Raph grinned around his toothpick.

The girl nodded again, "Yeah, Banshees are usually described as howling like wolves, so they would howl outside of windows, and place recordings of baying wolves in homes. Driving the selected victims into at least mild paranoia, and making them aware that they had been chosen. Then, displaying the dismembered bodies as a warning… pretty standard fear mongering."

She glanced around the room, and at their blank expressions she quickly added, "Which is very wrong, very very wrong."

She gave an awkward smile, "But they started to run out of money, so they decided they wanted to get it from one person in one big sum. They decided to find some rich kid, and kidnap them just to hold them until the money came. They called in my "uncle" Hephaestus who was an arms dealer, and a man connected to the kind of people who could point out a good target for this. The target was my mother who was doing a program with the Smithsonian."

Mikey gasped loudly, but Emma was satisfied to see the shock on each of their faces. She rocked on her feet, "See I told you it could be worse."

"So what happened?" Raph chuffed quickly.

"Oh, mother refused to cooperate, and made a few attempts to escape over the course of a month which failed, but she did manage to prevent them from sending anything to her parents… oh and she did get a good stab in on uncle Aries." Emma leaned against the desk as she spoke.

"Oh well, things are going just swimmingly here then aren't they", Leo mumbled running a hand over his face.

"Mother convinced them that they could do a better job of doling out revenge legally, but she had a heart condition, and after a few weeks without her meds she was in real danger. So, they put her on a plane back to France. Mother went straight to a hospital, and got back to normal. Father took a meeting with the Feds, and handed over a list of the men he wanted to rot in prison. Then, offered him a deal for his remaining "brothers". My uncle Aries is legally not allowed back on US soil, the younger boys got off as minors, and my father faked his death. The men went to prison, and my father got on a plane to Paris where my mother was receiving medical treatment. The rest is unwritten history. Oh, and uncle "Hades" is the federal agent who worked out the deal, and keeps tabs on the family". Emma ended her speech pointing to a man in a simple grey suit and sunglasses.

"And now that you are the eldest child of the Banshee, you are left in charge?" Donnie eased the words out.

Emma nodded with a heavy sigh, "Yup, and I am easily the most socialized and least violent out of the whole family…", she turned to Leo, "So, yes we have almost no common ground, but I understand the undertaking it would be to have any semblance of a relationship with Donnie."

Emma motioned to the last photo. It was a group of people at what looked like Emma's sweet 16 party. Grown men decked out in purple party hats while holding cigars and brandy, her uncles. "They are my family, and I may not always be able to tell you the whole story, but I can promise not to lie to you."

"The code names are clever", Leo offered he had always been a fan of the Greek epics, "Hades because they made a deal with the devil."

Emma nodded.

"That is so not how I thought that story was going to end", Mikey sighed leaning back in the chair.

"So, what's your code name?" Raph rolled his shoulders.

Emma blanched, "Oh they are silly, and we rarely use them…"

"But honey bunny!" Mikey whined.

Emma blushed glanced at Donnie, but hung her head. The words were mumbled and hushed, "Aphrodite …"

"Did she just say...?" Mikey whispered like a child on christmas.

"They gave it to me when I was 4 years old", Emma defended, but locked her gaze on her twined fingers.

The brothers fell into varying levels of hysterics. Mikey had taken to rolling back and forth on his carapace. Raph had a hand over his eyes while the other held his toothpick for fear that his heavy chuckling would make him swallow it. Leo was doing his best to quiet his own laughter, but appeared to be losing the battle. Donnie recovered first when he saw her playing with her delicate hands. The genius took a deep breath and padded over to her. Careful not to spook her he opened his arms to her with a gentle smile.

Emma looked up at him with a roll of her eyes, "It's a dumb code name."

Donnie chuckled again wrapping her in a loose embrace, "You clearly haven't heard Mikey's code names."

Emma giggled, and tucked herself to his chest. Donnie relaxed at her warmth, but when he looked up he was met by his unamused brothers. Clearly they were not used to such displays of public affection. Donnie just could not find it in him to care though, and ignored them to nuzzle the top of her head.

"Get a room", Raph barked.

Donatello stiffened a laugh, "You're in my lab."

"Fair point, thank you for… explaining a bit of the information", Leo nodded in their direction before making a quick exit.

"Dude that's cold. You never get a code name now", Mikey scolded on his way out.

Raph rolled his eyes, but followed his brothers out.

Don turned back to the girl in his arms,he smirked "For the record, I think Aphrodite suits you."

Emma batted his chest playfully, "Hey, you kissed me on that rooftop!"

"I was clearly seduced", Donnie whispered playfully before leaning down to place a gentle kiss.

"Oh poor unsuspecting dragon!" Emma giggled, but began to thrash when a scaled hand began tickling her sides.

Donnie secured her with the other arm, "Evil temptress."

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Author's note-

So, first thank you so much to EVERYONE who has reviewed, commented, followed, favorited, left kudos, etc! You mean the world to me, and the constructive reviews have been so helpful! I am so incredibly grateful, and I can't believe how many reviews this is getting. You are all wonderful!

Second, I am so sorry this was late by a week! I missed my two week deadline, but I was switching jobs (and sleep schedules). Silly real world problems. Thank you again for being so wonderful and encouraging while I finished this chapter. I just couldn't get it the way I wanted, so this version is just my best attempt. There will be a LOT more action in the next few, I promise!

My lovely **Dragon** has put this through the ringer, so hopefully no mistakes.

 **Reviews** are incredibly important to me because they are my only real way to gauge the audience. I welcome all feedback, so please let me know how I did! Thank you so much for reading!

Love,

Violet Blak


	7. Thick as Thieves

I'm Listening

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon and its creators. I make no monetary profit from this work it is only for entertainment.

Author's Note: 2014 Movie-Verse - Rated M for a reason! This work contains sexual content, violence, and at times dark themes that will become more developed as the story continues- you have been warned. Also, I have messed with the timetable the story is set in current time, but the guys are in their mid twenties- so the events of the movie would have happened around 2004.

Sometimes, when chaos burns

like wildfires around us:

we have no other choice but

to fall in love with the warmth.

~Christopher Poindexter

Chapter 7: Thick as Thieves

Donnie settled Emma back in the chair before turning his attention back to the photos. Something had caught his eye. In the photo from her sweet sixteen he had notice that Emma and two other girls in the photo had on matching uniforms. He leaned forward to expand the image.

"What?" Emma smiled still catching her breath from laughter.

"A-are you wearing a school uniform?" Donnie glanced between the main screen and Emma, but was careful to keep his expression mild.

"Yah, that's my little sister, codename Athena, and my best friend, codename Artemis. We were only away from school for the evening when the uncles surprised me for my birthday." She smiled pointing out the other two girls in the photo.

Donnie nodded. Athena was thin and petite with delicate features. She had shoulder length loose curls, a brilliant smile, and a huge piece of cake on the plate she held. Artemis was of similar build to Emma, with long pale blonde hair, piercing crystal blue eyes, and decidedly sharp bone structure. Artemis looked devious in her "cheersing" pose with brandy and cigar. His hand glided over the image before double clicking to save it.

"Oh no you didn't!" Emma giggled lunging for the mouse.

"You're in a schoolgirl uniform!" He countered. The lanky terrapin chuckled easily fending her off.

"Well, someone's a creeper with a side of extra heavy breathing", she pouted settling back into the chair. "I suppose you have a whole collection."

Donnie snorted, but the words fell out of his mouth before he could stop them. "Its not much of a collection."

Donnie's eyes flew to Emma in shock at his slip. The young woman stared at him mouth agape, and he noticed a slight twitch from her left eye. "What?!"

Panic flooded Donnie's system. He could hear his heartbeat throb from his eardrums, sweat collected on his brow, and his mouth grew dry. "It's only one photo!" He blurted out desperately throwing his hands up in surrender.

Emma's head tilted thoughtfully, but that twitch came to her eye again. She stood, and closed the distance between them. One index finger jabbed his chest, and she looked at him with a quiet ferocity. It was impressive how someone so small could evoke such commanding energy.

"You! You mean to tell me this whole time you had a photo of me?" She ground out the words.

Don gulped, "Well, to be fair it was in the University paper, and it was only one."

She frowned, "Still, I had nothing, and that's not even a good photo! That's not fair you had more information than I did. You had a reference."

She deflated a little and crossed her arms with a huff, "It's not fair. I had nothing."

"I'm sorry", Donatello offered carefully lowering his arms.

Emma gave him a fleeting glance, but quickly looked away a blush stained her cheeks. She pouted again. "You had a visual and I didn't…"

It took a moment for the pieces of the puzzle to take form in his mind. He had an image of her. He was an adult male who was romantically interested in her. She was a smart girl, so it didn't take a great leap to imagine just how many ways he … admired the photo. She wasn't upset that he had the image, but that she had none. His cheeks flushed at the realization.

"I hope I didn't disappoint", he chuckled nervously.

"I didn't have an image, so I didn't let myself imagine what you looked like…" Emma mumbled turning her attention to her socked feet.

"Wait then, how did…?" Donnie wasn't sure how to phrase his question without digging his hole any deeper.

He watched Emma smile bashfully at his attempted question. Her gaze flitted back up to him, and she reached to toy with the tails of his mask. The worn fabric was wound around her fingertips. Gently she lifted them to his eye level and swept her pink tongue over her lips before speaking.

"Well, lets just say its ironic that you wear a mask", as she spoke in a little whisper she tugged the tails around. It pulled his mask 180 degrees so that it acted as a blind fold.

Donnie swallowed thickly, "I see. Its the perfect solution to not having a visual."

Emma reversed the action slowly till his mask was set back into place, and his golden green eyes opened to her. She traced his jaw with a clever smirk. A sharp tug to the fabric still tangled in her hand made him lower his head through the haze of mental images she just created.

She leaned closer to brush her lips at the hinge of his jaw, "I was all by myself." Her voice was soft and breathy.

He nuzzled into her neck to hide his shocked expression. Rich honey acted as a balm to his nerves, and he scooped her up to embrace his sweet vixen for a moment. Then, he set her down on the desk which was built for his height, and made it much easier to claim her lips. The kisses were warm and comforting. She leaned into his touch when he cradled her skull with one hand. The thought of his sweet Emma pleasuring herself alone was enough to make his knees lock, but blindfolded! His mind couldn't even decide how to position her for the fantasy, or even calculate how many she might have tried.

The images poured into his mind like water. Her velvety fair skin peppered with sweat. Lips forced open with the small cries he had learned only last night. One hand working in slow movements between her lush thighs. The other roaming to test and tease the multitude of other sensitive flesh her body offered. A chur caught in his throat- Aphrodite indeed.

He pulled away, and took deep controlled breaths taking in her rich scent sharpened with the beginnings of her excitement. The added spice didn't do much to calm his blood, but in a way it did help ground him because it meant she was real. She was there. He nuzzled at her collar bones to reinforce it. Her fingertips came to play across his jaw to follow the pattern of his scales to the back of his head the motion coddled him closer. He found her eyes closed with her lips quirked upwards.

"Honey bunny! I made tea…" Mikey's announcement tapered from his position next to the still swinging door. His mouth falling agape at the sight of Emma perched on the desk with Donnie standing between her legs and his face hidden in her neck.

Donnie growled as he rose to his full height, and Mikey shrank backwards. The younger tried to take a step back, but Donnie follow taking a purposeful step toward the youngest. Mikey let out a nervous giggle.

"Easy Donnie", Mikey urged attempting another step back, but was again followed. So, Mikey turned to the more rational of the two at the moment, and focused on the blushing Emma. "A little help honey bunny?"

The nickname seemed to snap the cord hold Donnie's frustration back. The taller lunged, and Mikey gave full chase tearing across the lair with his brother in hot pursuit. In moments like this, Mikey truly enjoyed his ability to judge the danger of a situation- especially with his brothers. In his current mood Don was not to be trifled with, and Mikey knew he would have to outmaneuver his fastest brother to stay out of reach. It had been a long time since Don had done anything like this. He was always too busy making their life livable, but now… now there seemed to be a little play returning to the workaholic. That was good, but walking in on him with Emma- the likely source of his brother's... energy- was not a good way to provoke it.

However, he knew Don all too well, and after a few laps between the tunnels and the lair his unnervingly rational mind would kick in. They would laugh about it, but for now he had to keep just out of his brother's reach till he cooled off! Fortunately, Don had been so preoccupied with Emma that he hadn't put on most of his gear, so at least Mikey didn't have to worry about a barrage of gadgets to avoid. He lept into an open vertical tunnel, and looked up to find Donnie had followed. This would be fun!

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Meanwhile, the two older brothers had rushed to the living room of the lair just in time to see their younger siblings tear out into the tunnels. The looked to each other, then back to the exit, and finally both slowly turned around to see Emma standing in the lab's doorway clearly confused. Their eyes met again and a silent argument ran between the two over who would go deal with the human. Leo was surprised when Raphael took the first step towards the lair, and he allowed his hulking brother to make it halfway up the stairs toward the lab before his better judgement kicked in. The eldest followed closely, but if what he thought had happened, then he dreaded the conversation. If anything Don should be the one to explain this!

Raph lumbered into the lair to find a befuddled Emma standing a few steps back from the doorway. At his entrance she looked up at him and then over to Leo as he paused in the doorway. Again the brothers looked from the girl to each other, and Leo took the lead with a sigh. Her scent was rich, so if he hadn't been sifting for it he wouldn't have caught the faint spice that was ever so slightly stronger than normal. Yup, Mikey must have stumbled in on them, but from the look of Emma it would appear that they were not "in the middle" of anything. Maybe Donnie just snapped? None of them had ever brought a woman home, and they became territorial during mating season… it wouldn't be a terribly huge jump.

"Emma are you alright?" Leo questioned softly as he approached her. When her eyes focused on him that lingering spice faded entirely. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

Emma nodded, "I'm more worried about them."

Raph shrugged, "Probably just a territorial thing. Donnie would know the word for it."

Emma's head cocked in silent question.

Leo guided her back to the computer chair she had been in before. "How much has Don explained about our differences physically?"

"A few things, but I have a feeling I will be learning for a while", Emma still seemed honestly missing the point. "Is there something specific that I missed?"

"We are still more animal than human in many ways", Leo began. "Our senses are stronger than any human, and scent specifically can be very important … in certain situations."

Emma blanched, "I must be disgusting?!"

"Nah, you smell edible dollface", the largest brother offered smugly.

Leo pinched the bridge of his muzzle, "Raphael you can't just tell people that!"

The red banded turtle only shrugged, and focused on the again calm Emma. Who was patiently looking between them.

Leo attempted his most cordial voice, "You smell of honey and spiced tea- probably established from consuming them over your lifetime. It is very nice, and easily distinguished. Humans also produce pheromones which we can pick up on in the scent like…"

Emma's mouth made a small "o" shape, and she ducked her head.

"We all get territorial from time to time for lots of reasons", Raph added. Emma nodded, but kept her eyes on her lap.

"Mikey takes great joy in "poking the bear" if you will, and if there were also certain hormones present… then, Don might feel the need to draw a line in the sand with Mikey", Leo kept his voice calm but his smile was forced.

"Or cram his head back into his shell for a while", a wicked smirk curved Raph's mouth upwards.

"So, this was my fault?" Emma looked up at Leo with a guilt stricken expression.

"Well, only if you started it", Raph chuckled darkly taking a seat.

"Yah, it was my fault then…", she blushed and tapped her index fingers together.

Leo mumbled, "Aphrodite indeed."

Emma swatted his forearm with a little growl to show her disapproval. It was something like watching a kitten pick a fight with a grizzly. Leo looked genuinely surprised, and couldn't hold back his snort of laughter. He managed a quick retort while holding his hands up in false surrender, "It was probably mostly Mikey's fault to be honest."

Raph smirked, and moved to stretch back in his seat, "I knew she was a keeper."

Emma rolled her eyes at Raph, but sighed, "What now?"

"Mikey will probably run him down to avoid Don when he's like this, so it could be a while", Leo frowned.

"You gotta watch the quiet ones", Emma giggled.

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When Don came to the lab door he was terrified to find not just Leo's scent, but also Raph's. They were both in there! He paused at the cracked door and listened for a few moments before entering. They were talking pleasantly.

Leo's voice sounded playful, "You went to private school in the Alps?"

Emma giggled, "Yup, I spent four year at the academy which was both a secondary school and a finishing school for young ladies."

"What did the lady study?" Leo was using his most charming voice.

"Besides getting my diploma I studied, archery, horsemanship, fencing, and I was V.P. of the model U.N." Emma sounded distracted.

"Well, aren't you well rounded?" Raph teased.

"Fencing? Did you ever try your hand any other swords?" by the sounds of it Leo was trying way too hard to act casual on that topic.

Emma snorted, "A few, but personally I'm not a fan of the style needed for the Katana. I'm better off with a rock to be honest." Again he noted her distraction, and the soft marble like clicking that followed her words.

He could distinguish Leo's huff, and Raph's snickering. Don had not expected to find them behaving so amicably. Despite his knightly nature Leo had grown to find woman to be tiresome. One too many screaming damsels more interest in running away than offering thanks for their rescue had cooled his Lancelot behavior to more of a stoic warrior. Raph was well Raph, and rarely had patience for anyone at anytime. So, one could imagine his surprise not just to what he heard, but also to what he saw when he pushed the door open.

The trio sat around a low table adorned with a chess set which his brothers must have moved from the living room. A quick glance proved that Emma was wiping the floor with Leo who sat across from her. Emma rested on a cushion with his largest brother next to her. His figure loomed over her to watch her take another piece from the board. A small piece of wood lay in his lap and a carving knife in one hand. The wood appeared half finished. Raphael sat close enough that his knee pressed to Emma's when he turned to look back at him. Making him look like some kind of guard dragon to the raven haired maiden he was next to.

"Look who finally showed up! Tell me how many pieces is Mikey in?" The red banded turtle chuckled pointing the carving knife in the younger's direction.

"I kinda lost him, but I'm sure he'll turn up by lunch time", Don offered peering at Emma, who had not turned to face him.

Donatello sent a pleading look to his eldest brother who in turn gave Emma a gentle smile, "I think I'll go try to hunt Mikey down. Raphael, why don't you help me?"

Raph chuffed, "Use whatever excuse you want. I think you just didn't want to lose to a girl." The largest reptile left the carving and knife on the low table before rising to follow Leo out of the lab.

Don carefully closed the door behind them, and the click of the lock echoed in the room. Emma finally turned to look at him, and sighed. He all but ran to her when a small smile curved her full lips.

"My brother's were kind to you while I was … out?" Don offered taking a seat where Raph had been.

Emma nodded, but those piercing mercury eyes were so forlorn, "Was it my fault?"

He scooped her up and into his lap on instinct. He tucked her safely away in his arms he murmured to her, "No, never…"

"So, it was just Mikey bursting in? Not my scent?" Emma relaxed into his plastron tucking her head under his chin.

Alarms of a whole new nature went off in the young genius's head. Had his older brothers told her? Oh, what in the hell had they told her? One look down at her waiting features confirmed his suspicions. "What have my brothers told you?"

Emma quietly walked him through her newfound information, and Don smiled down at her. He shook his head, "No, it was Mikey… and the not so gentlemanly thoughts I was having." He offered a sheepish smile.

Emma nodded and playfully added, "You smell like coffee. How do I get some of that?"

Don laugh deeply, and for a moment needed to catch his breath. "I will make a fresh batch at lunch, and bring you a cup, I promise."

Emma smirked at him, but a yawn interrupted her clever expression. "Nap?' she yawned again.

Donatello couldn't think of a better way to spend his afternoon, and made his way to his bedroom to settle them in his bed. Emma took the pencil from her hair, and it fell in waves around her face. Once she settled back into their waking position she began to ask questions. He answered them as best he could, and gently began to explain that he was the first to bring a girl home, and that they would like be the guinea pigs for the rest of his siblings on the subject.

"So, we make it up as we go along?" She mumbled with sleep pulling at her voice.

He nuzzled her from his position behind her and stroked her arms with his free hand. "Yup."

One of the upsides of fall was the shortening days. Their lunchtime was nearly around 4pm, and dinner around 8pm which allowed them to have a daily schedule conducive to their late night work. However, in fall and winter they could leave so much earlier since the darkness fell so much faster. In those short few hours the purple banded turtle learned so much. Emma tended to hum when she drank coffee, and was all too happy to interact with all of his brothers during the meal. They exchanged stories with her about scars of all things. Leo explained the one across his eye was from the first time he fell holding his swords. Raph told her about how his lip was split open in a brawl with Leo, but that he still won. Mikey regaled her with how his chin had been split during a dangerous skateboarding flip.

Emma surprised all of them when she smiled and told them, "I'll let you pick: foot, leg, or stomach?"

"Leg!" Mikey chirped completely oblivious to his brothers stunned silence.

Emma frowned, and lifted her right pant leg to rest above her knee. It only reveal what appeared to be untouched porcelain skin. Yet, after a moment of close inspection a small circular indentation could be seen on the side of her calf, and she rolled her leg to show a matching one on the other side of her calf. "That is from the only time I feel out of a tree, and took part of it with me. I landed and made it all the way across the garden before my mother stopped me to pull the thin branch out of my leg. I wasn't allowed inside until it stopped bleeding." Emma was giggling at the memory.

"Your mom sounds like a bitch", Raph chuffed.

Emma only laughed harder, "A lot of people would agree with you. One had to truly know my mother to love her. She didn't believe in wasting precious resources like time and patience to lull someone into comfort."

"But you're so sweet?" Mikey cooed from across the low table in the lab.

Emma shrugged, "I take after my father."

"Why were you in a tree in the first place?" Leo asked gathering another helping of rice onto his plate.

"I was reading", Emma smiled.

Donnie bit back a sigh to avoid further teasing from his brothers. All he needed was to give them more ammo after his display earlier that day. He settled for suggesting Leo finish the abandoned game of chess. It was worth it just to see Leo's eyes bulge, and to see the panic cross his eyes. Leo was a good sport, but never enjoyed losing- least of all with an audience. The gentleman in him would oblige the now very excited girl who was happily making space on the table for the board.

That was how the evening continued. Emma defeated Leo, and moved on to slowly conquer the chess board again against Donnie himself. Raph had nearly completed the carving- it was in simple detail of a woman… with rabbit ears. All of this was a joy to watch for Mikey. The youngest had managed to find his way back in time for the meal, and enjoyed the time spent lounging about. I was a nice break from their normally rigorous schedule of training in the mornings and chores in the afternoon. He noticed how she not only touched Donnie with a calm and casual air, but also offered small bits of affection to each of his brothers. She smiled easily, and was eager to hear stories, and offer up her own.

For reptiles living underground there was nothing quite like basking in the sun. For young men deprived of social interaction Emma was like a ray of sunshine, her temperament warm and playful. Emma also had a profound effect on Donatello- aside from his territorial behavior. The shyest of the brothers was prone to stuttering, winding himself up on every possible negative outcome before even beginning a conversation, and physically holding his lanky form in a way that showed his discomfort. Yet, with Emma leaning into his side Don sat up straight, smiled broadly, and confidently told a story with an arm around her waist. True she was clearly interesting in Don, but they could all bask in her sweet warmth for the day. The youngest turtle sprawled himself over a few cushions to enjoy the scene.

Finally, it was late enough for them to move out for the night. They gathered in the lab to explain to Emma how they would take her home. She called and gathered that her sister and cousin, the girls she had called earlier, were going out. Which would make dropping her off much easier. She rattle her address of to Don who entered it into the system on his wrist to direct them.

Leo frowned and held out a strip of black fabric, "I hate to do this, but we need to blindfold you for at least the first half of the trip…"

The eldest had braced for an argument, but he was hardly prepared for her to blush darkly and have a fit of giggles. Don supported her half crumpled form as her laughter continued, and smiled meekly at his eldest brother. Don took the blindfold, and carefully secured it around Emma's head. She was doing her best to stifle her giggling, but the black fabric against her fair skin only made her blush more prominent. Despite his best efforts Don couldn't wipe the rather wicked grin from his lips.

"Do I want to know?" Leo sighed looking between the two.

"Nope", Donnie smirked and scooped the young woman into his arms with a little toss. Pulling a little squeak from the girl, and a resurge in her giggles as they began their fast pace move toward the surface.

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Author's note-

So, first thank you so much to EVERYONE who has reviewed, commented, followed, favorited, left kudos, etc! You mean the world to me, and the constructive reviews have been so helpful! I am so incredibly grateful, and I can't believe how many reviews this is getting. You are all wonderful!

Second, I am so sorry this was late! Only a couple of days this time though! I'm getting back into it now ^.^ I really struggled with this. I just can't tell if it's really good or really boring -.-

My lovely Dragon has now destroyed all my mistakes, despite a cold.

Reviews are incredibly important to me because they are my only real way to gauge the audience. I welcome all feedback, so please let me know how I did! Thank you so much for reading!

Love,

Violet Blak

P.S.

I have written a little bit of rather explicit smut that goes as a side piece for this story, but since it is so explicit I am not posting it here. It will be available on my AO3 and AFF profiles. If you are interested the links to those are posted on my profile page here on ^.^


	8. Lightning in a bottle

**I'm Listening**

 **Disclaimer:** Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon and its creators. I make no monetary profit from this work it is only for entertainment.

 **Author's Note: 2014 Movie-Verse -** Rated M for a reason! This work contains sexual content, violence, and at times dark themes that will become more developed as the story continues- you have been warned. Also, I have messed with the timetable the story is set in current time, but the guys are in their mid twenties- so the events of the movie would have happened around 2004.

 **Author's Note:** _LATE!_ I'm so sorry, but my whole August was one problem after another. I have been sick, my neck and back injuries (from 2 car accidents) flared up for pretty much the whole month, and I have had to pull extra hours at work on top of all of it… The good news is I finish my second (and hopefully last) antibiotic today, and I am finally starting to feel human again. Hopefully, this was worth the wait!

Fortune favors the bold.

~Latin proverb

 **Chapter 8: Lightning in a bottle**

Donatello slowed his pace to pause on a secluded rooftop, and adjusted his grip on Emma to pull the blindfold from her eyes. A smile curled his lips as mercury-green eyes found his. A quick look around was enough for the young woman to tighten her grip on the straps over his chest. They were rather high up, but that was part of why it was safe to stop. A waved signal from Leo cut the moment short though, and the purple-banded brother scooped her back up into a bridal style hold.

Don tipped his head down to whisper, "You have to stay quiet, and keep a good grip."

Emma nodded, but when he made the first leap off the building she reached up in panic at the sudden drop. Her arms wove tightly around his neck, and she buried her face there. He bit back a chuckle. It was wrong to delight in her terror, and he knew it. Though the feel of her lashed to his plastron and whimpering into his neck didn't exactly feel wrong.

"You did that on purpose", she growled, but didn't dare to pull away from his neck.

"I have no idea what you are talking about", he smirked as he took another leap.

Emma made a tiny noise just below his ear slit that might have been a curse before she sank her teeth against the scaled flesh there. Now, it was his turn to keep quiet. The tallest ninja forced himself to swallow a churr while focusing on a rather nimble landing. All the while keeping up with his brothers who were thankfully just ahead, and purposely keeping their eyes off the couple. They kept the pace brisk, and Don rather enjoyed Emma's brand of complaining along the way. Finally all four reptiles came to a smooth halt, and Donnie loosened his grip.

"Which window would be best?" Donnie ask softly, nodding towards the 10 story building ahead of them.

Emma frowned, before understanding lit her features. "Oh, well um… any?" She fiddled with the ends of Don's mask tails.

"I don't understand", Don frowned, cocking his head.

"Well, I bought the whole building to make it into the offices for the business in the U.S., but then we found a better one that required less work. The deal had already gone through for this one though, so we just made it into the family home here…" Emma spoke quietly peeking up at the purple banded ninja.

"You home is the whole building…" Leo muttered.

Emma nodded, "The rooftop door should be fine." She offered a nervous smile.

"No shame in that game", Mikey cooed while Raph reached over to ruffle her hair with a smirk.

A moment later Emma found herself on her own roof with Donnie gently setting her on her feet. The boys were lined up behind her on the "balcony" as the girls called it. A 30 foot by 15 foot open air space they had added a concrete wall to for safety. Two cafe-style iron tables with matching chairs were scattered over it, and before her were the double doors to the glassed in pool area which covered the majority of the roof. Her fingers moved over the small security pad, and a soft click alerted the boys. Emma pulled open the door and waved for them to follow behind her. Her heels clicked against the cement path that led to another set of double doors and an elevator. Emma opened the doors, and glided down a set of stairs.

The boys trailed behind her. Mikey openly gawked first at the large pool, and then once through the doors his attention turned to the elegant wooden staircase that spiraled down to what had to be Emma's office. The first thing that the youngest brother noticed was that the ceilings were double their expected height making the room feel even larger than it was. The walls were covered from floor to ceiling with bookshelves or massive pieces of art. A fireplace took up the wall across from them with a large couch before it. In front of them was a massive mahogany desk with three elegant monitors. The room smelled richly of Emma, and something else.

A woof rang out from the couch, and Emma cooed to the large dog that bounded over the back of it to greet them. Mikey's head cocked at the sight. The dog looked like a "blue" pitbull, but it was just so large. It had to weigh more than Emma, but it pranced before her like a pup with happy low woofs and playful yawols. For her part, Emma quietly praised the beast with warm pets before kneeling down to wrap her arms around it's hulking shoulders while it's large square head clumsily nuzzled under her delicate chin.

"This", Emma smiled proudly, "Is my baby, Cerberus. My very own hell hound."

"I can see how this guy could do some damage to a laptop", Donnie grinned as the overgrown pup snuffled at his offered hand.

Raph gave a low whistle and grinned when the canine plodded over happily. The largest brother gave him a warm pat on the side which only made the dog lean his weight onto the reptile's leg, urging for more affection. Mikey quickly joined in on the lovin', earning a sloppy lick from chin to cheek.

"Not much of a guard dog", Raph grunted continuing his lazy attentions on the beast.

Emma shrugged, "He more of a lover."

Leonardo smiled at the warm scene before him, but his attention was drawn to the lavishness of his surroundings. The large photographs stood out the most. A handful of them lingered on the walls between the vast collection of books. One in particular showed Emma and a few other women strewn around one elegant chair dressed in beautiful and ornate dresses. Seated in it was an elegant older woman with a smirk set to her lips. He would be willing to bet from the resemblance alone it was Emma's grandmother or other direct relative. A striking redhead and brunette stood on either side just behind the chair with aloof expressions appearing only half interested in the photographer. Emma's younger sister and another young redhead sat on the floor leaning into the elder woman's form in a playful form of endearment. Emma sat between those two, all of their darkly colored dresses pooling to add an unearthly element to the frame. Emma's playful smirk turned up her lips, and each woman seemed to push forward with their presence. It was an excellent moment for a photographer to capture such power and casual affection. The little brass plaque below it read, "The Pride."

"You like it?" Emma's kind voice broke his concentration.

He managed a nod, and Emma continued happily. "Daddy loved photography, but some of it was really quite good. This was one of his favorites. All the women in the family…"

Her voice lingered as her gaze swept the photo. A sadness brushed over her features like a cool breeze, but she quickly forced it away. Turning back to him with a tired smile, she joked, "It's too bad I can't give you all a fun tour…"

"Perhaps next time?" Donatello offered gently wrapping an arm around her frame.

Emma nodded and turned into him. No part of her wanted to begin the next step. The saying goodbye step… It still didn't feel real to her, and she certainly wasn't excited to say goodnight without the ability to make hard and locked plans for their next meeting… but that wasn't possible. Her eyes lingered on the staircase back up to the roof while her mind tried to find the right words for this step. Well, until the sharp ding rang through the room.

"What was that?" Leo's hands were halfway to his swords.

"The elevator?!" Emma squeaked. "Maybe the girls came home early?"

The ninjas' gaze fell between the elevator doors which were right next to the staircase. The old fashioned dial was shaped like a clock and spinning up quickly. Emma bucked out of her panic, and reached past them to one of the book ends on her shelves, and with a quick flick of the wrist it turned, opening one large door that was itself a bookshelf. She waved them into the room in the split second decision they followed her motion. The door was closed, and left them alone in the new room via Emma's secret door.

All four quickly pressed their ears to the door to listen as the ding rang out again, and then smooth rolling noise of the elevator doors as they opened. For a long moment there was nothing, and the brothers wondered if there had been anyone at all. Then, a woman's voice snipped to Emma.

"When did you get home?" The woman's tone was bored and slightly annoyed.

"Oh, not long ago. I thought you had gone out with Roxy?" Emma's voice was slightly edgy, but passable.

"Nope!" The woman let loose a heavy sigh. "The boyfriend called, and Roxy has been inconsolable ever since. It's probably a good thing you are home. You know how I am with … feelings."

"What?!" Emma squaked.

"Yah, she's been baking and listening to death metal for like an hour. I borrowed some of your clothes to relax in. I think she's making some kind of cake, but I can't be sure." The woman sounded impossibly bored.

"What exactly happened?" Emma grumbled.

Donnie frowned at the turn in conversation. It looked like they would be stuck on this side of the bookshelves for a while. He flicked the light on his wrist pad to let him get a better look at the room they had been hidden in, and also to locate a light switch. He flicked it over, and felt his heart speed up. They were standing in what appeared to be Emma's closet. Tidy shelves were built into one wall holding neatly folded clothes and shoes. Another wall had an array of clothes hung on mounts. In the center of the room was something like a kitchen island with drawers and cabinets, and overhead a crystal chandelier. It was also nearly the size of his lab…

"Dude…" Mikey whispered as he immediately began to snoop.

Donnie moved to grab him by the shell, but the smaller brother was quicker. Mikey ducked and turned the corner to find the bathroom, earning another hushed coo from the orange clad ninja. The floors were a dark stone, and a tub Raphael could fit in lay in the center of the room like an altar. A walk in shower curved to the other side, and a elegant vanity lay nestled near the window. A smile curved Donatello's lips as he glanced at the products lining the shelves almost all were based in honey…

He shook himself out of his revere, and grabbed Mikey by the neck and forced him back into the closet. His elder brothers were both still pressed to the door. The purple banded ninja bit back a chuckle. The elder ninja had not taken a look at the wall they were trying to listen to, but on this side of the large secret door there was a huge old fashioned poster… for a burlesque dancer. It read "Everyone tastes better in the dark with Violet Blak". The woman provocatively held two ostrich feather fans as her only covering, and his brother's heads were pressed in such a position that they appeared nestled to the woman's bosom. Mike was snickering in his grip, but Donnie refrained from pointing it out to his elder brothers.

"Sounds like she's done", Leo murmured.

The door pulled open a moment later, and frazzled Emma appeared.

"Sorry about that. I hate to rush you away, but it sounds like I have a crisis waiting for me downstairs", Emma grumbled, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"We'll just head out then", Mikey grinned sending a wink to Donnie as he released him.

The youngest brother ushered the two eldest away, and quickly closed the door, and left Donatello alone with Emma again. She shifted into his arms, and sighed at his warm embrace. His fingers combed through her hair to sooth her obvious stress. Her mercury eyes lifted to his warm golden green with a weak smile.

"You'll call and message, and…" she trailed off when he cupped her cheek.

"I'm in this Emma. Don't worry", he whispered as a small smile tugged his lips.

Emma nodded tugging him down into a slow kiss. Her lips moved over his with a slow urgency that made him swallow a churr. He pulled away to save himself, but she rolled up on tiptoe to flutter softer kisses. He couldn't resist, and indulged in another deep kiss. A sudden knock was enough to make them part.

"Donnie, we need to go", Leo's muffled voice was clipped on the other side.

Emma heaved a sigh, and opened the door blushed at the knowing looks on the brother's faces. "Just exit the way I brought you in. I suppose I'll go down stairs, and deal with whatever fresh hell is down there."

Emma watched as they mounted the stairs, and waved them off. She turned and stepped back into her closet. Careful of her stitches she changed into a fresh pair of yoga pants and a loose sweater. After splashing some water on her face she began to make her way down the stairs. The steps gave her some time to begin planning exactly what she would say if the conversation ended up pinned on what she had been up to for the last 24 hours.

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On the rooftop the brothers lingered for a moment. They didn't normally patrol this night of the week, so there was a temporary stall. Mikey was all too happy to linger. The youngest wouldn't mind having a dip in that pool with soft curls of steam rolling off it's surface. This was a life style he could get used to. Leo was talking with Donnie as they both looked out over the city from the balcony. It was about that time a woof rang over the rooftop.

"Damn it Mikey! Why did you let the dog out?" Raph growled motioning to the overgrown mutt happily plodding across the roof toward them.

"Dude I closed the door!" the orange banded brother protested tossing his hands up.

"Just put him back", Leo sighed before turning back to Donnie to continue planning.

Mikey gave the pup a good petting, and gently took him by the collar with a laugh, "Dude we should do a life swap."

Raph grunted, "Just put him up." The largest made his way toward the balcony.

Mikey sighed, and moved toward the door to the stairs. However, upon nearing them the large dog turned sharply and shoved his muzzle at the elevator doors instead. The terrapin cocked his head, and loosened his grip. Sure enough the pup bopped his nose against the button, and and the doors opened with a little ding.

Mikey looked between the dog and the doors and shrugged, "What kind of training have you had?"

Stepping in the doors closed, and Mikey looked to find there were seven buttons. R for roof, B for basement then floors one through five. Mikey leaned down to press the five button only for a low woof to draw his attention back to the mutt. Then, that square muzzle bopped the one button before looking up at the reptile with something akin to a smile. Panic rushed into Mikey's veins resulting in a high pitch squeak. Franticly he pressed every other button, but the brass colored box just kept sinking.

"Oh shit…", Mikey whispered pacing back and forth.

A small ding announced the first floor, and the doors opened. The oversized dog barreled out into what looked like a living room. Only a single lamp was on, and he could hear what he was vaguely certain was deathmetal metal from across the open expanse of the living room. Taking a cautious step forward he peered around, and found no one immediately around. Soft steps caught his attention, and on the large winding staircase to his right was Emma slowly making her way down.

"Roxy?" Emma called as she made it to the bottom of the stairs.

Despite the loud music a petite figure appeared from the archway of the kitchen. Mikey stood trapped in a shadowy corner as Emma trotted across the darkened room to the smaller young woman offering a warm hug. The smaller girl sniffed and rushed into the embrace, and he noticed the creature clinging to her shoulder. The light from the kitchen made her more of a silhouette, but he was fairly certain the iguana Emma had mentioned was sitting on Roxy's delicate shoulder like a scaly parrot.

The two turned to move into the kitchen, and Emma called out to her pup to follow. However, the furred villain instead turned to Mikey with a cock of his head. Then proceeded barking and bouncing back and forth clearly trying to get the ninja to follow along.

"Who's there?!" the smaller girl barked.

Mikey froze, and searched for words. Emma seemed to find his shape in the darkness as her sister ducked back into the kitchen. Her eyes widened, and a string of what he assumed was French began to fall from her lips. About that time the smaller girl came barreling back out with something bulky in her hands.

"Get out!" the smaller yelled and Mikey learned she was holding a knife block as he was forced to dodge the first of several very sharp steak knives.

"Wait!" Mikey yelped another knife whizzing past his head to embed itself in the wall near him.

"Roxy no!" Emma moved to grab her smaller sister, but she proved faster, and continued to chase the large shadowy figure around the darkened room.

"What the fuck is going on down there?!" The sharp voice that he recognized as Victoria barked as she began to rush down the stairs.

Another knife landed with a sound thunk in the coffee table he was currently using as a shield. "Please, ladies I come in peace!" Mikey cried making a run for it to duck under the entertainment shelf.

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"Did you hear that?" Donnie asked looking up from his wrist pad.

"Shit!" Raph cursed as all three began to run back into the home lead by the sound of crashes and yelling.

A few leaps over the stairs put them overlooking the destruction of a lavish living room. Emma was holding back her large dog and a rather energetic iguana while yelling in French. A petite young woman with shoulder length curls was was hurling knives with surprising accuracy at Mikey's fleeting figure. Finally, a thin redhead was charging down the main staircase with a shotgun, cocking it as she dropped to the last step.

Mikey was backed up to a corner wedged between a wall and a column shelf with various electronics. Though most were now wedged by knives causing sparks to light the area near his side. Out of knives the tiny one grabbed a large vase of flowers and chucked it at him while the redhead took aim. For the brothers it was like watching a slow motion car crash. Emma let go of the animals to throw herself at the redhead, and the vase still full of water careening towards Mikey… and the exposed electronics. Sparks flew and the power flickered in the building with a low hum. The brothers stood in total shock as Emma ran to Mikey grabbing the main power cord and unplugging it before trying to roll him to his back.

"Mikey?!" Emma began to feel for a pulse as the overhead lights flickered on.

"Mikey… Mikey as in Donnie's brother Mikey?" the petite blonde murmured rushing over.

"Emma, what exactly is Mikey?" Victoria growled moving in to apparently listen for a heartbeat.

"Umm, at one point he was a red eared slider…" Emma tossed awkward smile while moving Mikey's head into her lap.

"Well, he's rather durable. Looks like the shock just knocked him out", Victoria sighed, "I guess he's probably better off as your patient Roxy."

Roxy settled between Mikey's legs ran her hands over his scutes, joints, and checking for injuries, and mumbled. "This is incredible… He's a turtle!"

Donnie felt his panic settle as Mikey's limbs began to shift. However, that did nothing for the problem of two new human women staring at his brother in all of his mutant reptile glory.

Roxy perked, and looked down to her knees which she knelt on between his legs, the guys could actually hear Mikey's short tail thumb against her legs a second time. It was prone to wiggling in his sleep. Roxy's eyes lit up, and she reached for it without the girls' noticing. Mikey immediately sat up straight as though shocked again with sloppy churrs rolling from his chest. A quick look around and blue eyes found the petite rose and blonde haired girl in his lap, Emma at his shells her hands on his shoulders asking if he was alright, and a red head pressed to his side trying to urge him to lay back down. Mikey smirked, he had a dream like this once… ok more than once. Three beautiful women touching him, smiling, cooing his name, and god the smallest was still grasping his tail.

Roxy looks up at him with tears brimming in her hazel eyes, "I'm so sorry. I didn't know you were Donnie's brother! I thought you were an intruder, and… I'm so sorry!" She sniffed and threw her arms around his neck. "I've had the worst night, and I took it out on you."

The other girls curled closer cooing to the now whimpering girl, and made no bones about crawling over Mikey to do it.

Mikey pulled back with a grin, "Don't worry Baby Girl!" The orange banded turtle then wrapped all three in a bear hug. "The Mikester has it all under control."

Emma looked up to see the other brothers looking at her in question. The three larger reptiles had carefully moved closer. Donnie was only a few steps away his golden green eyes wide with shock and worry. The raven haired girl shrugged with an apologetic look to the brothers, and motions them towards her.

"Um… Girls", Emma's voice was soft as she began to squeeze out of Mikey's grip to step next to Donnie. She slid into his arms with a shy smile before turning to the girls still in Mikey's arms.

"This is Donnie", she smiled before motioning to the others, "And these are his brothers Raph, Leo, and Mikey."

They brothers braced for more screaming, but Emma's voice continued, "Guys this is my cousin Victoria and my little sister Roxy."

The glaring redhead snipped, "They're turtles…"

Roxy blinked a few times, "What have you been feeding them?!"

Victoria snickered, "Maybe there was a 5th brother?"

Neither of the two petite women had made any move to leave Mikey's lap and embrace. Their features didn't appear with the standard signs of shock. Their breath was even and their pupils unnervingly normal in size. Roxy has shoulder length dirty blonde hair that faded to a mute rose pink and hung in large doll-like barrel curls. Her features were cherubic with hazel eyes a little too large for her face and a button nose. The cousin, Victoria, was also thin and petite with straight red hair in a lazy ponytail. A handful of freckles dusted her pale cheeks, and eyes just like Emma's watched them with an annoyed curl to her pink lips. Her delicate hands had a grip on Mikey's shell in some attempt to keep him still while the other still lingered on his neck to keep track of his pulse.

"The fuck is wrong with this family?" Raph huffed breaking the silence and moving to the other side of Emma.

"You're one to talk Reptar", Victoria's snapped from her.

"Well...um Donnie?" Emma struggled looking up at the tallest ninja who appeared to still be in shock.

The group seemed to watch each other cautiously with their eyes settling on couple. The silence was thick and growing in weight by the moment. That was until a sharp *ding* rang through it like a knife.

Roxy launched to her feet with a squeak, "The cupcakes!"

"Fuck, cupcakes?!" Victoria yelped in quick pursuit of the pink haired girl.

Mike seemed to have a delayed reaction, and pouted at the loss of the women from his lap. "Dude I am so lost…"

"Cupcakes?" Leo asked stepping closer to Emma.

"Cupcakes are kind of Defcon 1 for Roxy… Mikey! Should you be standing?" Emma muttered before rushing to Mikey's side.

The couple steadied the youngest brother. The two eldest exchanged looks. Raph rolled his eyes, and Leo motioned for Emma to lead the way. They slowly made their way to the kitchen where they found Roxy and her brown sugar cupcakes were being topped with icing that the rose blonde was making with cream cheese and maple syrup.

Mikey looked up at Donnie with his still rather sloppy expression, "Dude am I dreaming?"

"No", Donnie watched Victoria place the knife block back on it's spot on the meticulously kept counters. It was a large and state of the art kitchen with a large island with a cooking range and bar in the center. Carefully he propped Mikey against the bar, and began to give his youngest brother a quick exam. Thankfully he appeared dazed, but otherwise unharmed.

Emma moved to her sister, "Do you wanna talk about it?"

Roxy flinched, but tops another with a shake of her head. "You already don't like him, and if I tell you … you might kill him."

"You really know how to settle someone's nerves don't you Roxy?!" Victoria snarled before cramming a cupcake into her mouth. Her attention turning to Emma, and the mildly visible bandage on her shoulder. Her mercury green gaze was far colder than her cousin's, and it settled on the brothers at the bar only leaving them to flit to the bandages peeking from beneath the hoodie. "Then again, your boy troubles might have just been trumped by Emma's…"

Roxy nodded turning her attention to Emma. The raven haired girl shyly looked up at Donnie and then to Leo. Leo gave a small nod. The oldest was completely out of his element, even April had more of a reaction to them than this… Donnie cleared his throat, and began the speech he had given to Emma just the night before.

"So, you're mutant turtles… who are trained ninjas and in a clan war with the Foot?" Victoria grumbled eyeing another cupcake, but suddenly cocked a brow at Emma. "How much do they know about us?"

"Oh… just the basics though we were working with code names at the time", Emma blushed.

"So… this is serious. You are serious about…" Victoria made a sweeping motion to Donnie with an annoyed sigh.

Emma pinned her with a glare, and the redhead threw her hands up with a groan. "What, it was a necessary question. You let ninjas, mutant ninjas into our home that NO ONE outside of family even knows about… fuck! What's next, vampires?!"

"Probably the same rules. Once you let them in they will probably always find a way back in…" Roxy giggled, topping another treat, earning a snorted laugh from Donnie and Mikey.

"You sure you don't want to talk about it?" Emma asked her sister softly passing a treat to Donnie.

"Not yet, but this might be it…" Roxy sniffed, and passed Mikey a treat with a sad smile. "I'm so sorry I hurt you."

Mikey gave her a prize winning smile, but before he could move to snatch her up in a hug Raph yanked him back. The movement caught Roxy's attention and she turned to Raph with the other pastry. The largest brother stalled out at gesture. However, her expression changed. She quickly scrabbled around him, and ran her hands over his shell with a frown, then a gasp.

"What have you been doing!?" she scolded running her hands over the cracks and ridges of his massive shell.

Raph balked. The redbanded ninja carefully tried to shoo the small woman away, but she was too quick. Roxy ran her hands over his sides where his shell meets his ribs, and the sensation was enough to stop all of the largest turtle's movements. Fingertips moved over scales and cartilage with practiced ease, finding the sensitive and scarred areas the terrapin himself was unaware of. His growl went completely unnoticed and only earned him what he assumed was some kind of baby talk in french.

She murmured softly to him, "This pyramiding must have hurt so much, and these cracks…", the blonde pulled one of his large hands into her own following the callused patterns to his wrist. "Why have you been so hurt?" the sincerity in her voice captured all the brothers in its concern and sweetness.

"Roxy is a Veterinarian", Emma offered to the flustered hothead.

Raph huffed, and turned his eyes away from the hazel pools so full of … honesty. The brute picked her up by the waist in a way one would a child covered in something sticky, and carefully set her down on the countertop.

"Don't worry about it little bit", he ruffled her soft curls, but her warm hazel eyes searched his golden ones. "Now, quit changing the subject."

Roxy looked between the brothers and gathered her feet to sit indian style on the counter. "We are long distance. He live in L.A. and I live here. We have been together for years though… since grad school."

"And?" Mikey smiled petting her knee.

Roxy fidgeted, "He had an offer to move here, but turned it down. He says he doesn't want to lose me, but wanted to have an open relationship…"

Emma and Victoria both screeched, "What!? I'll kill him!"

"See, this is why I didn't want to say", she sighed turning her gaze to Mikey.

"I got it! Break up with him, and marry me", Mikey sang trying to get closer to her.

Roxy giggled, and rolled to crawl down the counter towards him. "I don't know. There might be a law against that in my field?"

The brothers looked to Emma confused, and she elaborated, "Roxy is a veterinarian and one of only a handful of fully licensed reptile specialists with field experience in the world."

"But he does seem eager… and full of energy", Victoria smirked stepping over to pet Roxy's curls lovingly.

"Have you thought about colors?" Emma giggled curling into Donnie's side.

Roxy pouted, "I still have to decide what to do with the man who currently thinks I'm his."

Emma frowned, "I'm just saying", she sent a wink to Mikey, "There were sparks."

Mike fist bumped Emma, "Best wingman ever."

"Well someone is forgiving. We did almost kill you", Victoria snipped eyeing their weapons.

"I hear it's a common hazard in this family", Leo snorted back. "We didn't get your code name by the way", Leo nodded to Victoria

"Medusa", the redhead practically purred.

Mikey took a step back from her and yelped as a sharp pain wrapped around his calf. Looking down he found the small reptile Roxy had earlier. In the light he could see it was a rather large iguana vibrantly colored in emeralds and brilliant yellows and oranges. It was also hissing at him with its whip like tail readied for another strike.

"Oh hi baby!" Roxy giggled hopping off the counter to scoop up the small beast. Which immediately curled it's torso around the back of her neck tail coiling at her waist. Eyeing Mikey it began to bob it's head showing off the brightly colored scales and flesh beneath it's neck.

Roxy frowned tapping the lizard's nose in some odd form of discipline, "No no! That's not how we treat Mikey."

Emma snickered tucking into Donnie's side. Donnie grinned, and pulled her tighter to nuzzle at the crown of her head. The display earned another set of eyes rolls from his older brothers. The redhead however heaved a groan.

"This is a fucking mess", Victoria motioned to the couple snatching another treat.

"They do look cute together", Roxy chirped scratching the iguana under the chin.

"Oh!" Victoria glowered swallowing a wad of cake, "You so don't get an opinion!"

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Author's note-

So, first thank you so much to EVERYONE who has reviewed, commented, followed, favorited, left kudos, etc! You mean the world to me, and the constructive reviews have been so helpful! I am so incredibly grateful, and I can't believe how many reviews this is getting. You are all wonderful!

 **This has now been put through it's paces by my darling Dragon!**

 **Reviews** are incredibly important to me because they are my only real way to gauge the audience. I welcome all feedback, so please let me know how I did! Thank you so much for reading!

Love,

Violet Blak


	9. Daddy's Girl

**I'm Listening**

 **Disclaimer:** Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon and its creators. I make no monetary profit from this work it is only for entertainment.

 **Author's Note: 2014 Movie-Verse -** Rated M for a reason! This work contains sexual content, violence, and at times dark themes that will become more developed as the story continues- you have been warned. Also, I have messed with the timetable the story is set in current time, but the guys are in their mid twenties- so the events of the movie would have happened around 2004.

 **Author's Note:** I live! So, sorry that I have been away! I had a medical scare, but all is well! If you are curious about exactly what kept me away feel free to read the more detailed note on my profile. This is a bit short, but I am trying to work with smaller chapters until I get back into the swing of things as I make my return to fanfics ^.^

The secret of change

Is to focus all of your energy,

Not on fighting the old,

Building the new

~Socrates

 **Chapter 9: Daddy's Girl**

The candle shifted in gentle sways as the air currents passed through the tunnels. Alert ears moved in slow arcs to take in the near quiet. The aging ninjitsu master sat in lotus position in an attempt to meditate. However, the near silence in the lair unnerved him. He was disturbed by a number of things that afternoon.

First, he had been delayed in his return home by the Foot Clan. While he had remained out of sight, he still had to wait for the gang members to evacuate certain tunnels before he could make it back home to the lair. The Foot Clan had been hunting for them for years, so it was not terribly uncommon to find them in the tunnels. It was more concerning just how many seemed to be hunting and just how close they were getting.

Secondly, Splinter had raised four boisterous boys, and adulthood had done little to quiet their daily going ons. Hence, he had been concerned when he returned home to find the brothers calm and quiet. Experience with this docile version of his sons told him that something was off.

Sometimes this was simply because the brothers had fought while he was gone, but that was much more a rarity now that they were no longer teenagers. A few times this suspicious behavior had been their way to cover up activities above ground. This seemed more likely. So, one could imagine his surprise when he found his chess set missing. It was something that he only used on occasion, but it was a precious item that remained in his meditation room. It had been his initial thought that perhaps it had been damaged, and perhaps Donatello was repairing it quietly. It was something that had been done many times with the toaster in particular.

He had planned to confront his most gentle son on the subject, but his agile son had managed to stay busy within his lab or in the garage until they boys headed out to investigate what the Foot Clan were after and how they were getting so close. This was why the great master was having trouble focusing on his meditation. After a few more moments he snuffed out the candle and rose to his feet.

His cane clipped against the concrete and metal floors as he crossed the lair and ascended the staircase to the lab. He was rarely in this side of the lair. The strong odours of metal, smoke, oil, and fuel that came from the lab and garage below were hard on his particularly sensitive nose. Yet none of those scents caught his notice once he opened the heavy laboratory door. His knuckles tightened over his grip on the door handle.

His whiskers bobbed as he tested the scent again only to confirm it. A human woman... The lab was covered in the scent of a human woman and her blood! The mystery only grew when he shuffled forward to find his chess set still left mostly empty from a game that had been brutally won. His eyes narrowed, and he turned and made his way back down to the rest of the lair.

The brothers returned home exhausted. They had sent the foot on a wild goose chase with Mikey and Leo as bait while Don and Raph had added more cameras and triggers for their alarms. It had been a long night, and as the sun's rays rose over the city the brothers stumbled into their beds. Well, all but one.

Mikey had flopped onto his mattress when he heard the sound of a shift of weight. Immediately on alert he fell into stance only to find himself face to face with his father. What was worse was that his father had "the face". It was an expression he knew well from his earliest memories. He was in trouble, and he had a sinking feeling in his gut over the cause.

"Sensei", the youngest reptile fell into a bow in apology.

"My son", Splinter spoke smoothly, "Why don't you tell me exactly what happened while I was away?"

Michelangelo shuffled still in his bow, before he mumbled. "I'm sorry father, but I can't."

Splinter only combed his whiskers with his clawed hands for a moment before he motioned his son to follow him. The pair moved towards the dojo while collecting Raphael and Leonardo as well. The looks exchanged between the brothers confirmed their suspicions. So, when their father spoke again they flinched.

"Tell me why a stranger was in our home."

"Father… it's a long story." Leo attempted to placate the old master but it only earned them a look that could frost steel.

"She is ok… She really likes Don", Raph offered in a quick gruff.

"Who is she and why was she here?" Splinter drew closer to his sons with a clipped tone.

"Her name is Emma", Leo began to tell his best version of the events as he could while his brother piped in on certain details.

The master only pondered while slowly pacing their training space. Finally, after a heavy silence he turned and spoke in his brand of calm and absolute tone. "I will meet this girl to see for myself. Raphael you will take Michelangelo with you to retrieve her tomorrow at nightfall. Leonardo, you will keep your brother busy."

The brothers exchanged another round of looks, before their father clipped his cane sharply against the floor.

"Yes sensei", they spoke lowly.

He waved them away, but the youngest lingered. His bright blue eyes searching his fathers for a moment before he began to make his way back to bed. He stopped at the door frame though and spoke in a soft almost reverent whisper, "You are going to like her, father. Emma's sweet and kind… and you should see the way she looks at Donnie."

Emma let loose a slow huff while shifting at her desk. It had been a long day, and while she had been home for hours she had yet to remove her shoes. Pale hands soothed where her ribs protested from spending too long the strapless bra and her tender lower back from leaning forward for so long. Not to mention the numbing ache from having her hair in a high ponytail for so long. She had only taken a short break to grab coffee and some leftovers between phone calls and documents.

It was a good day, and while she ached, the sense of accomplishment soothed away the discomfort. Her eyes drifted to her coffee that was long past cold, and chose instead to snatch up her phone. She skimmed and typed a quick response to Victoria. Oh, her darling older cousin was most entertaining when she went on a binge. Most had no idea just how much they had survived, so her teeth first style sense of humor could be a little off putting, which was only made worse by Victoria's total lack of empathy. Well, total lack of empathy unless you are her patient- then she became a champion.

For Emma however, Victoria's sharp sarcasm and brutal honesty were comforting and entertaining. Yet, among the anecdotes that her darling cousin had sent was a single message from someone new. It was a simple message she had seen many times, but never from Mikey- _I need your help_. She quickly responded, asking what was wrong. The youngest Hamato only asked to meet her on the roof in a few minutes. So, Emma rose and stretched her limbs and pulled on her coat before moving up the staircase from her study towards the roof.

"Hey there honey bunny!" Mikey greeted rushing towards her for an embrace.

Emma clung tightly to him, but Raphael didn't escape her notice. The largest brother had landed just behind the youngest in silence. His expression was far from the playful exuberance of Michelangelo. Those amber eyes spoke of a far more grave topic. The woman looked between the two, and noted the quickly fading energy from the brother holding her. She released a breath that created a puff of fog in the cold night air.

"Is everyone ok?" She whispered as fear traced her heart.

Raph shook his head and his large hand placed a soothing grip to one slim shoulder. "Easy dollface, everybody is fine."

"Then…?" She frowned shifting between the baby blue and gold gazes.

"Father wants to meet you, tonight." Mikey forced a smile.

"Donnie didn't tell him?" She murmured in understanding.

"Sensei figured it out first", Raph sighed.

Emma nodded and adjusted her coat before she cast them a tired smile, "Do I look alright?"

Mikey nodded with a laugh. Emma sent a quick message to her sister and cousin explaining she would be out for the night. Then, Raph gingerly placed the blindfold and gently lifted her. His heart panged each time she would whisper a question to him.

"Do you think he will like me? How should I address him? I feel like I should have brought a gift. It's polite to bring a gift…" He stumbled over answers, but he was grateful for the slight distraction. Mikey remained in step at his side his bright blue eyes mirroring the worry that twisted his gut. Their father could be stubborn when he was angry, and while it wasn't her fault, Emma wasn't exactly getting off on the right foot.

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Splinter listened to the shuffling pace of his sons as they entered the lair. Then the clip of heels caught his mobile ears, making them flick against the air. The soft measured clicks of those shoes spoke of a smooth gate. Once they came to the doorway of the meditation room he rose to slide the door open.

He was not sure exactly what he had expected, but this was not it. First, his sons had already removed her blindfold and her rosy lips curved into a smile. Her eyes flashed in alarm before softening almost immediately into gentle observation. Her posture straightened and manicured hands moved to quickly clasp before her. It reflected a sweet, almost shy temperament that stirred his heart. A smile curved his lips when she dipped her head in a polite bow at Michelangelo's clumsy introduction.

He took in her dark argyle tights, the simple cream skirt that hung in neat pleats. She wore a wine colored blouse and heeled boots hugged her ankles. Her raven hair was swept into a neat ponytail. Grey green eyes sparkled in a way to gave him a sense of a clever nature. In a few seconds he could already see why his brilliant and gentle hearted son was so smitten. She was beautiful and he would be willing to bet that she had an equally tender nature as Donatello.

When he reached out she shyly slipped her hand into his calloused and clawed one. He dismissed his sons with a wave and lead the young woman into the room. She toyed with her fingers when he slid the door closed. He took her by the hand again and she gave him a smile that faded a little too quickly for his taste.

"You have nothing to fear my child", he assured urging her to take a seat at the low table.

She gave a weak smile, "It's just… this isn't the way I had hoped to meet you. Things have not gone to plan, have they?"

"Things rarely go as planned, but I must say even under these circumstances you have already impressed me", he reassured gently and patted her hand as true shock crossed her features. "You must understand why I would feel the need to meet you immediately"

Emma nodded with a sad smile, "I do… I am not sure how to reassure you of my intentions."

Splinter continued with a gentle smile, "That can be seen in the impression you have left on each of my sons. They are not so easily won over as a group."

The girl's expression colored with pink and a full smile rushed upwards on her lips. It was assurance enough to go on. "I only need to grasp this situation"

The pair fell into comfortable back and forth as Emma began to walk him through her family and fiscal responsibilities. As she spoke the pieces fell into place. His son who had always preferred bedtime stories with a princess who needed saving- though a heiress to a fortune and an array of underworld leaders was not exactly what they had in mind. Yet a beautiful, kind, and cunning woman who could use a knight in shining armor sat before him. She was charming and affectionate. Her hands eagerly reached for his arm or traced patterns on his knuckles while she revealed her secrets to him.

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Meanwhile, Don lumbered through the last tunnel with his eldest brother chuckling over all of the equipment that they had been forced to repair. Leo had been kind enough to admit that he and Raph had an argument in one of their entry routes and they had crushed some of the hidden cameras in the tussel. Part of his apology was to help Don replace and repair the broken equipment.

However, all of the chatter came to a flatline when they entered the lair. Don had taken two quick breaths before rushing towards the meditation room where the other two brothers caught him. Donatello struggled with all of his strength his eyes glued to the heeled ankle boots that way before the door. Before Leo could reach them the tallest brother released a powerful snarl and flipped Raphael to the ground. Mikey was shoved into the nearby wall before the door was thrown open.

"Father! Please, don't send her away!" He yelled.

"Welcome my son", Splinter intoned casually, pouring tea for his guest.

Panting, Don gasped, "Father, I can explain…"

"Calm yourself my child. All is well. Our Emma has tended to all the explanations necessary."

"Donnie are you alright?!" Emma chirped as her lover swayed on his feet.

Emma rushed to his side as he crumpled to his knees. Her hands flew to his flushed cheeks, and her gazes shifted quickly between his distraught state and the rest of the Hamato brothers. Donnie snatched her into an embrace. He kept her tightly to his side as his gaze shyly met his father's. The master martial artist was more interested in the young woman tightly clasped to his son. Her concern creased her brow and darkened those lovely eyes. Her hands moved over his son's cheek.

Splinter gave a wave to the other brothers to join them, as he spoke. "I am disappointed in the way you chose to go about this whole matter. That you chose to hide this, and bare it as a burden rather than share it as a blessing."

Donatello visibly relaxed and gaped for words before he seemed to simply give up on the endeavor. Emma had shied into his shoulder at the compliment, but when Don looked to her for words she gave that dazzling smile. The pair gave a series of giggles and sputtered chortles, but it was the final confirmation for the sensei. The way she sweetly pushed his son's glasses back to their proper place. Michelangelo was had been right. He always had hoped his sons would find happiness and perhaps even love. There was no arguing with the way this woman looked at his son.

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 **Author's note-**

So, first thank you so much to EVERYONE who has reviewed, commented, followed, favorited, left kudos, etc! You mean the world to me, and the constructive reviews have been so helpful! I am so incredibly grateful, and I can't believe how many reviews this is getting. You are all wonderful!

 **This has now been put through it's paces by my darling Dragon!**

 **Reviews** are incredibly important to me because they are my only real way to gauge the audience. I welcome all feedback, so please let me know how I did! Thank you so much for reading!

Finally, if anyone is interested I have been working on two multi-author fanfics I have been working on with some of my besties called **Nautical Tortuga** and **Orange Violets**. If you enjoy my style please check those out on AO3 and Adultfanfiction dot net. I also just finished the first chapter of a new and rather salacious fic, **Lucky Star**.

Love,

Violet Blak


	10. Life of the Rich & Nefarious

**I'm Listening**

 **Disclaimer:** Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon and its creators. I make no monetary profit from this work it is only for entertainment.

 **Author's Note: 2014 Movie-Verse -** Rated M for a reason! This work contains sexual content, violence, and at times dark themes that will become more developed as the story continues- you have been warned. Also, I have messed with the timetable the story is set in current time, but the guys are in their mid twenties- so the events of the movie would have happened around 2004.

 **Author's Note:** Heads up this chapter is a collection of short stories and drabbles, and may be followed by a second chapter of drabbles and such just to give some depth to the multitude of interactions that happen in this little universe. This way you can see a little bit of everything and everyone as they brothers get to know "the family".

" _I don't know how it is you are so familiar to me-_

 _Or why it feels less like I am getting to know you_

 _And more as though I am remembering who you are._

 _How every smile, every whisper bring me closer_

 _To the impossible conclusion that I have known you before_

 _In another time, a distant place_

 _Some other existence._

 _~Lang Leav_

 **Chapter 10: Life of the Rich & Nefarious** **The Vexing Victoria:**

The eldest Hamato brother pulled a slow breath into his lungs with purpose. His fingertips worked at his temples. He knew it was going to be difficult coping with Emma's family. He had not however, accounted for this kind of behavior. Now, even at home he was struggling to finish his kata.

It had to be the third time that they had gone along with Don to see the girls. He could admit that he enjoyed Emma and Roxy. It had taken time, but the newness was wearing off. Emma was playful and impossibly clever while somehow maintaining a soothing calm that had an infectious quality. Roxy was hyper, sweet and a little shy. The sisters were painfully intelligent and loving, which considering the family they came from only brought up more questions than answers for the ninja.

It was the cousin, Victoria that was the problem. Victoria was an arduous juxtaposition. Victoria was a pediatric surgeon, and according to everything he read she was one of the rising stars in her field. Victoria also made all his years with Raphael seem like a training process. Her policy was simple. She hated everyone equally until proven otherwise. They had not been proven otherwise yet. Victoria also really didn't seem to care that they were reptiles, males, or even that they were in the room.

Last night had been the fourth time he had seen that woman naked! The petite redhead had at least five freckles that he had no business knowing about. Not to mention, thanks to his highly sensitive nose, he knew that three of the four times a man had taken her clothing off before doing a number of other things he had no business knowing about. Now, why she felt the need to prance about in the nude at all still baffled him, especially when her guest was often long gone. Emma had been rather embarrassed and upset at each of these instances. Victoria only seemed to delight in the brother's bashful attempts to not view her more, and only added a shimmy if Emma demanded that she get dressed.

Roxy had tried to soothe the very startled brothers by explaining that the naked redhead drinking juice and asking them about their night while totally nude was kind of their normal. Once the beautiful doctor had been shooed back into her own room Roxy had told the blushing brood of reptiles that Victoria had lost the love of her life. Some young brit who she had dated since their school years and was a beloved member of the family by the name of Aden. He had been shot in a robbery gone wrong. Victoria had always been a hard ass, but apparently ever since she had come to terms with the love of her life's death she had become a bit of a vamp. This was not to say that he didn't approve of a woman having a healthy sex life, hell someone should be enjoying themselves. It was more the rather literal issue of having his nose rubbed in it.

It was difficult to process. Victoria was a woman who saved children's' lives for a living. She was also a ball buster. She had issues with boundaries and totally lacking in modesty. She was protective of her two younger cousins, and made no bones about her opinion of them. Not to mention her opinion of love which was a very simple, you have it or you don't, and you'll only get it once so don't fuck it up. Victoria was in no way interested in anyone other than for a night of fun, and quickly explained that the Hamatos were off limits since one of them was chasing after her cousin. Though by the looks of it Mikey was chomping at the bit to spend a single moment alone with Roxy.

So, here he was trying to do his kata, but all he could think about was Victoria. It wasn't that he desired her in particular. It was more that he knew that woman saved children, babies even everyday, and he knew about those five freckles. He was male and a beautiful woman had pranced around in front of him repeatedly. She was in no way his type and when she opened her mouth she virtually reversed any physical effect she had on him. However, his detail oriented mind just kept pulling stills of that one little freckle in the center of her cleavage.

He heaved a sigh and forced himself into stance while swapping those images of freckles with the face of the girls' grumpy iguana.

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 **Love Hurts:**

It had only been a week or so since Emma had met Master Splinter, and the brothers were still getting used to the idea of letting themselves into the towering home of the Dalton clan. The high ceilings of the home meant that there were only about 7 floors and a basement that functioned as a garage. The basement held particular interest for Donnie since it had access to a tunnel, and he was eager to see if he could utilize that.

It was still strange to roam about someone else's home. Especially since only the two top floors were used by Emma and Roxy for their space, and the main floor they had just finished as "family space". Which left the other floors as empty and unfinished space. Mikey dubbed them "creeptastic", and the girls avoided them. A security system scanned them and kept watch, so to speak, which was good for their safety, but also meant that the brothers could not pass between floors without the elevator.

Hence, when they ended up at an empty main floor Don was nominated to go in search of the girls on the higher floors. The doors rolled open on the top floor which housed Emma's room and study. He followed his nose and the sound of the blasting music to her bedroom door. He paused… he had never just let himself into Emma's bedroom before. It was a bit of a rush in itself, to just casually wander into his girlfriend's most private space. He swept a hand over the back of his head to calm his nerves and summon some measure of cool.

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Emma grumbled as Roxy unzipped the black gown. She had been harangued into attending a gala that evening. Since it was an art-based event she had dragged both Roxy and Victoria along to liven up the event. However, with her stitches just about ready to be removed her fashion options had been limited. She had chosen to wear a simple black and shimmer strapless gown and draped a silver scarf about her shoulders. This meant the wound was hidden from view while she also didn't have to wear a bra with straps. Straps scrapped over the now itchy stitches, and made wearing them unbarable. The downside was that due to the size of her bust strapless bras slowly cut into her and made her ribs ache.

Roxy had already pulled her hair down from it's updo and thrown on a pair of comic book inspired panties and a t-shirt. Emma envied her. In an effort to be a little more comfortable she had worn a corset bustier beneath her dress. It had taken some of the pressure off of her ribs, but it was not so easily removed without a helping hand. The TV before her bed flipped from channel to channel as Victoria cruised for something decent to watch. Roxy was having a ball loosening all of the ribbons of the black lingerie, as Emma only sighed while clutching the loosening bustier to her chest. It didn't help that Victoria had also chosen to relax and stripped down to her thong and a oversized college T-shirt.

Emma was still in her full lingerie of stockings, garters, and now loose corset. Roxy who was still quite tipsy from the event happily giggled once it was fully loosened and made a showy deep bow. The heiress rolled her eyes, but her sister was already crawling up onto the bed arguing with Victoria about what to watch. Emma sighed at the pair who were mid-wrestle over the remote, but just as she was about to say something the door swung open.

"Emma?" The woman in question turned at her name and a deep blush began to stain her cheeks as she found a gaping Donatello in her doorway.

For a moment, Donatello seemed to be frozen in place, watching Emma try to find a more refined way to clutch the fabric to her chest. Emma was left in those stagnant seconds to watch as his eyes began to dilate. It wasn't until a giggle from the pair on the bed caught his ear that he ever so subtly shifted his gaze. The pair only fell into sputtering laughter when his mute gaze shifted to horror.

"I'M SO SORRY!" He yelped, and raising his hands in surrender before he spun. "I'LL JUST GO!"

Unfortunately, the very large ninja overestimated the turn and the speed of his exit. The result was a very loud crash and grunt as he walked straight into the door frame. The shear force of the impact seemed to shake the room, and sent drywall dust fluttering about the area. Emma let loose a cry, and even in his likely concussed state the turtle spun to check for danger. This only crashed his tough shell into the door smashing it off it's hinges.

"Donnie! Are you ok?!" Emma rushed towards him.

The genius made a slurred, "ShhhShh, Mm-figne", before he sank to his knees.

By now all three girls had gotten to his side, and urged him to lay on his shell. The two medical professionals went about a quick exam while Emma glanced worriedly from his dazed state to the Donnie shaped hole in her wall. This was only further thrown into chaos as the other Hamato brothers came to investigate the noise.

"What the hell is going on?!" Leo barked looking at the scantily clad women gathered around his fallen brother.

Victoria gave him a leering smile and tossed her vermillion locks over her shoulder. "Well, Donnie didn't knock, and was subsequently blinded by Emma's cleavage. Then, he seemed to pick a fight with the door. There were obvious casualties."

Leo looked at the remains of the door and heaved a sigh. "Why aren't any of you wearing pants?!" It was more comment than question, but his temper was exacerbated by the situation.

"Pillow fighting is strictly a no-pants only sport, sir", Roxy giggled eyeing the blush dusting Mikey's cheeks.

It only encourage the youngest, "I play winner!"

"You take your pants off and I swear to god!" Raph snarled.

"No Mikey", Don grunted with a hand pressed to his head.

The family doctor was treated to a taste of his own medicine as Victoria forced him through a few visual tests to ensure he didn't have a concussion. Once cleared the redhead tossed the highly embarrassed terrapin a wink. She then stood, and began to rant and rave about how Donnie needed some quiet. Despite her petite size she managed to shoo everyone else out of the room.

Don averted his eyes as Emma shifted closer, "I'm so sorry… I can fix the door. I can fix it tomorrow!"

Emma only giggled and pressed a kiss to his cheek. She slipped away to her closet to dress in PJs. It gave him a moment to gather himself. Sitting up drew a dizzy spell, but it was better than laying on his back watching the ceiling fan spin. Emma returned in a set of silky PJs, and knelt at his side. She tugged him into an embrace enjoying the way he rested his head on her shoulder. Her fingers lazily drew patterns over the scales of his neck and skull. The touch was soft and welcomed, and he relished when she pulled back to flutter kisses to his injured forehead.

"You aren't allowed to scare me like that. I thought you had really hurt yourself", she chided half heartedly.

He gave a snorted chuckle, but before he could express to her that it was minor Emma pressed a single finger to the already forming knot on his forehead. The result was a particularly nasal, "Ow! Ok, ok point taken."

Emma shook her head, and rose to her feet. "Come on to bed with you."

Donnie rolled his eyes, glancing at the open doorway with a dry wall cloud floating about the space. Carefully, he crawled onto the bed as Emma explained her evening in gentle tones. Including the fact that the girls had been preparing to have a movie night. She propped him up with plush pillows, and proceeded to fuss over him while Mythbusters played in the background.

It was nice to be the patient for once. Emma was also an exceptional nurse. Plus, the image of her nearly stripped in black lingerie was something his rattled brain had managed to save away for later. After an hour or so of basking in the attention Leo cautiously signaled him from the doorway that it was time to go. Emma fretted and made him swear that he would let her know when they got home safe. He was all smiles until they were home and Mikey excitedly told their father exactly how the genius got a bump on the head.

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 **Big Brother:**

Shortly after Donatello recovered from being ambushed by a door Raph received an injury of his own. He slipped on a spill left by Mikey and slid out of the kitchen and down a set of stairs. Thanks to the mutagen in their blood Raphael's broken arm was healing nicely and would be on his feet in three to four days. The downside was that April had a project that she needed help with around day two. The big lug had mentioned that he could make it to the Dalton's place. He claimed that then he could at least be fed and pampered while they got to go out.

The girls were more than excited to host the red banded brother for the evening. When they dropped him off Roxy and Emma were hard at work cooking breakfast for dinner. Mikey whined most of the way to their destination about how they had been ripped off. Raphael was torturing the youngest brother with photos of his gourmet brinner. Mikey had taken particular offence at the chocolate covered bacon.

Meanwhile, Raph was relaxing with a full stomach and the girls' choice in movie playing. He hadn't thought there was a TV on the main floor. He was technically correct. They did however have a projector screen that could be remotely controlled when they did want to enjoy it. Mikey was gonna pass out when he saw it- it was always good to have something to look forward to.

Now, one thing he did indulge in was the pile the girls made around him. Emma was leaning against him with Roxy curled over her lap while Victoria was nestled into his other side. His wounded arm lay in his lap and the other was slung over the back of the couch. It was warm and they certainly smelled better than a turtle pile. Plus, the girls had a sense of irony and insisted on watching Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

What he was not prepared for though were the glances at him. It was unlike the girls to stare at him. Yet, despite their attempt at stealth he caught each peek. His temper began to rise. His hands drew to tight fists, and he attempted to count to ten. However in the middle of it he caught Roxy making another peep.

"What!" He thundered sitting up and jostling his keep.

The girls blanched and seemed to glance between each other for a moment. Victoria gave a huff and a roll of her eyes. "You do things that remind them of their dad. He was a grumpy asshole like you too."

The hulking mutant found himself looking at the sisters who began to rattle off the laundry list of things. The way he smirked. The tone of his voice. His temper and the ways he tried to keep it in check. Even specific one liners. There was also something about crinkling his nose when he was trying to ignore something. It left him blinking as they continued to rattle of the things they had each noticed.

He tried to cover his shock with a grunt, "Thought you were just … you know staring at the freak."

Victoria snorted, "Nope, they are just weirdos. Now can you lean back? I was comfortable."

"Yah yah, quit your yapping and come 'ere", he grunted, hauling them back to him.

The brothers came to collect their hot headed brother only to find him snuggled with all the Dalton ladies. It took a considerable amount of his trained stealth to detach himself from them without waking the young women. He got a considerable amount of questions when Roxy in particular clung to his neck and called him big brother. He redirected her affection to her sister who happily snuggled, but she also mumbled a goodbye to "Raphie".

Needless to say his brothers had their share of questions and comments. He didn't seem to mind though. Perhaps it was his nap or his full stomach, but the teasing was barely noticed. Not that he was remembering the way Emma had preened over him or the way the smallest Dalton had dubbed him big brother with those sparkling hazel eyes. Though he couldn't resist turning the conversation back to the blueberry pancakes, chocolate bacon, and grilled cheese monstrosities that Roxy made that featured sausage and a whole fried egg in the center. It was more than enough to shut Mikey up.

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 **Touch-y-feel-y:**

There were certain things that his brothers simply missed, or perhaps they just didn't see them as important. For Michelangelo they were very important. It was also something he had personally dreamed about for most of his life, even in childhood. He had his brothers, and they were certainly physically affectionate especially when they were younger. However, there was something different about having someone else show affection.

Life with the girls was full of affection. They welcomed them with hugs, and not just mediocre quick embraces. Emma made no bones about touches, and after a few weeks it was clear that her whole family was pulled him tightly and made these low perfect murmurs when they did it. Roxy would tug him along by the hand to the kitchen where she insisted that he try whatever delicious thing she had made or found.

The only thing better than receiving the affection personally was seeing it happening to all of his brothers. Even Raph relented to their embraces, and once Victoria actually had clothes on she was prone to leaning into them with no intention to move away and squirmed her way under their arms. When the seemingly coarse woman did pull away from them she often paired a clipped insult with a peck to their cheek. The family doctor also liked to double check any injures and in general showed concern over them. Raph tended to pick the girls up when they reached for him, and they were happily toted around by the goliath.

Finally, it was the taboo interactions. Emma often traced Don's scales, especially those on the back of his head which seemed to sooth him when he was already wound up from a night on patrol. They were constantly touching their shells. A part of them that they had always assumed would always be taboo. Instead these girls knocked on them when they wanted past, patted them, and sometimes climbed them. It was just so nice to be touched.

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 **The X factor:**

It was a boy's night out, or rather the closest they got to it. The brothers were gathered around Casey's big screen to watch the game. Large and slightly sloppy trays of wings and pizza littered the coffee table. Donatello chuckled as Mikey did the voiceover for the current play. He took another swig of the cheap beer which seemed to be less terrible the more he drank. He was unwinding until Casey cleared his throat loudly and made a dramatic show of pointing at the tallest brother.

"So when do I get to meet the little lady?" Casey chose to bellow over the sound of the tv even though he was holding the remote, specifically he was brandishing it for his pointing purposes.

All of this would have normally annoyed him, but today was different. Today Casey was asking him about his girlfriend. His beautiful and brilliant girlfriend. Before he could choke down a nervous chuckle Mikey had already piped up to inform Casey that Emma was a "hottie". Raph was kind enough to yank Mikey into a headlock.

The oldest leaned in to refill his plate and give his two cents, "He's been talking to her for nearly a year and we just met her. Don't be too offended."

Don sputtered, "Hey! It's only been romantic for six months, give or take… and I didn't know that she wouldn't run for the hills when she saw me even under the guise that I was in a costume."

"Wait, she didn't freak at all?!" Casey finally muted the tv now that he was fully invested in the topic.

"Nope! Babe got straight on the first turtle express", Mikey had managed to squirm free and created an unsettling gesture to go with his announcement.

The tallest brother dragged a hand down his face with low grumbles. Meanwhile Mikey continued while avoiding Raph with an assortment of kissing noises and moans. Again, Leo chose that moment to get honest.

"He's not wrong. She was in a Jessica Rabbit costume and happily across his lap", Leo added nonchalantly before setting to work on his plate of wings.

"Dude! How am I just now hearing about all of this?" Casey chuckled as Mikey hid behind his chair.

"Here have a look at my future sister", Mikey chirped showing Casey a photo on his T-Phone of Emma. She was in her kitchen holding a cup of coffee and had struck a sailor scout pose when Mikey had announced that he wanted a photo. Casey seemed to study the image for a while before a wolfish grin pulled his lips upwards. "That is a hot nerd, and she's holding coffee. Isn't that a mating display for a Donnie?"

Donatello glared but he could feel his cheeks darken. He glanced at Mikey and gave his beer his focus for a moment, "I wonder what Emma's going to do to you once she learns about this."

Mikey blanched, "No!"

Raph gave a smirk as he sat back down on the couch, "Dollface is an artist at revenge. Last time Mikey ran off at the mouth she locked him in a bathroom with his orange crush stash, mentos, and a small amount of fireworks."

Leo began to laugh nearly choking on the hot sauce from the wings, "That was a good one."

Don innocently opened another beer, "There were a lot of tears that evening."

"Don, it's just guy talk… please don't tell her", Mikey pleaded sinking to his knees.

"Seriously, April has stopped hinting all together about this. If we don't meet her soon she's gonna be the one punishing us." Casey took a more serious tone.

"We just got through her meeting father. Maybe we can delay a week or so before another important introduction?" Donnie offered sincerely.

"So, did Splinter approve?" Casey perked up at the mention of their father.

"Father is quite taken with her and her sister", Leo gave a genuine smile.

"Sister?" Casey smirked.

Mikey gave a wistful sigh, "Roxy."

"So, it's going to be a double wedding?" Casey laughed for a moment as Mikey whined before he grasped his point again. "So, seriously how long until we meet the future in laws?"

"I will talk to her about meeting you both the next time I see her, I promise", Don smiled. He observed the room for a moment before he leaned forward to take a more serious note, "Thank you all so much for rolling with this. I know it hasn't been the smoothest of changes."

Leo reassured him, "Don you are normally the one unwinding and fixing our chaos… you get to take a swing at it once in a while."

Raph snickered, "It's not been that bad. I like Emma plenty. Plus, it's not like we need to be worried about any jealous ex-boyfriends or anything?"

Donnie snorted, and shook his head, "Emma only has one ex, and that was back in high school. Some dude named Rexy, and they are still good friends."

"Oh, she's still friends with the mystery ex?" Mikey asked in a sing song tone.

"The romantic relationship was only a few months. Emma made it sound more like a friends with benefits situation. The benefits fizzled out, and the friendship remained. She offered to introduce us over the winter holidays, but due to our mutation situation that's probably not such a good idea."

"So wait, she's down with you and had a friends with benefits in high school?" Casey smirked.

Don rolled his eyes, and ignored Casey's attempted celebratory fist bump. Instead he snatched the remote and un-muted the game. It was nice in a way to divert from the stereotypical manly chat about his "hot new girlfriend".

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 _ **Rocky Road:**_

It had been an innocent question. Mikey had a habit of putting his foot in his mouth, but this was a new one. He had been told that Roxy was adopted. So, there was a lull one evening when the smallest of the Dalton family had been making a roast. She had made some joke about their mutt being a stray. It was a playful jibe before she fed the huge dog a bite of the tender meat from the polished silver fork she had been sampling with.

"So, how did you end up a Dalton anyway?" The youngest had joked.

Her hazel eyes had widened at the question, and he could feel all of his brothers glaring daggers at his shell. Yet, the petite young woman recovered with a bright smile. Her hands returning to seasoning the large pot of herbs, vegetables, and the string tied pork. The sweet curve to her lips remained as she stepped back to allow Raph to move the heavy pot back into the oven.

Her small hand smoothed over his largest brother's rough and raised shell in a gentle thank you as she moved across to the glass door refrigerator. The brothers enjoyed their time in this large kitchen. They gathered around the bar and lent a hand. Roxy seemed to be excited just to have a group to cook for, and happily ensured that none of them left hungry. They were also often sent home with a serving for their father. Tonight it was just Roxy. Victoria was a the hospital and Emma's flight had been delayed, but the later was expect to land any moment.

She turned towards them with a giggle, "You know no one has ever asked me that."

Her cheeks were flushed, making her freckles seem to dance. She was very fawn-like when they weren't breaking into her home. She was often quiet for long periods of time, but would then burst out with excited babbling about animals, news, science, or a new recipe. Her level of weird and geek often even left Donnie scrambling to keep up. Interestingly, outside of her family she was very shy and didn't socialize much. She obviously prefered the company of animals to that of the general public. It was a wonderful little cocktail for a temperament.

Roxy washed her hands and hummed as she toweled them off before she began. "I think I was destined to be Emma's sister… we even share a birthday. Only Emma was born in an expensive private room, and I was born in a nunnery in a poor town. My mother had been cast out by her family when she was found to be pregnant and the father had dipped as soon as he heard the news. The nuns took her in, and I was born there. Unfortunately, my mother didn't exactly take to motherhood. After a few weeks she left… without me. The nuns raised me, and named me Rochelle."

The petite woman seemed to feel the weight of their concern and found a task to distract herself before she continued. "I was spoiled because the cloister was a very well educated group, and made no bones about ensuring that I was well cared for. It was pretty obvious even then that I was a classic ADD child, but they picked up on my ability to hyperfocus when I wanted to. They all worked to help me learn at my natural pace, and encouraged anything I attempted. I was a gifted dancer though, and by the time I was seven I had earned a scholarship to a school for ballet in Paris. It was a difficult change for me. My home was a humble little village and I had a dozen mother figures. Paris was beautiful, but I had no one and the crowds terrified me. I was a very good dancer though, so I kept to the school building and dorms. Well, until the day I met Emma."

Her delicate hand paused on the knife handle from her steady chopping. Her lips pulled into a tender smile, and her chopping resumed with a giggle. "Now, that was a funny story. I was eight, and I had only been told that the headmistress wanted to talk to me. It happened to be the day that my scholarship was to be renewed, and my first thought was that it must have been dropped. So rather than go to the office I hid. I went to the park a few streets away and sat on a bench in the cold trying to figure out how I would break it to the sisters back home. My rational thinking was clearly not fully loaded at eight."

Roxy had been hoping to earn a giggle, but only caught them each trying to hide their sympathy. She sighed and gave a wave of her hand which earned a smirk as all of them were suddenly focused on where the large knife in that hand might be going. "Then, Emma came wandering up to me. I remember that is was grey and cold, but that she stood out and caught my eye. She was in hello kitty rainboots, and an expensive looking coat. I was most surprised because she made a beeline for me. Later, Emma pointed out that I had the school uniform on and no coat. At the moment though it was like something out of a movie. She came straight up to me with that "I know the secrets of the universe" smile and said, "Hi, I'm Emma and I have been looking for you all day!"

Roxy began to move the chopped ingredients into the salad bowl with her grin widening, "I just blinked a few times before Emma began explain. She was a visiting student, and was supposed to be assigned to a girl named Rochelle for a tour, but she never showed up. All the while she began pulling off her coat and scarf to swaddle me in them. She scootched in next to me and for the first time looked slightly unsure. She asked me if I didn't like her, and I felt so guilty that I rattled off the whole story to her. Emma giggled and hauled us both onto our feet. We played 21 questions on the walk back to the school. We spent the rest of the day hand in hand. Emma never left my side, and claimed that she had wondered off and I had found her at the park."

"The next evening Emma's mother and Grandmother came to pick her up for the weekend. Meeting Vivian and Georgiana for the first time was an experience all in itself. Once you saw those two women you suddenly saw exactly where Emma got her confidence from. They were beautiful, elegant and had this power about them. They offered to have me out to dinner, and that turned into me spending the next weekend with them at Georgiana's townhouse in Paris. Which was surprisingly crowded with the whole immediate family. Emma's cousins, aunt, uncle, parent, and grandparents all seemed happy to squish into the 3 bedroom home. The children slept in the den which had been converted to an impressive pillow fort. Even then, I knew this family was a little different, and that Emma had a lot of clearly not biological uncles floating in and out of dinners. But it felt so warm and alive. I was instantly welcomed in particular by Daddy." The rose blonde happily motioned for Leo to take over mixing the large salad.

"Daddy was just so warm and playful. He could instantly tell someone's strengths and weaknesses. He was also quick to pick up on my anxiety, and he found ingenious ways to help. He knew when to give a hug and when to let me figure it out on my own. The uncles spoiled us, but they also were eager to read for bedtime, and help with homework. I felt safe, truly safe for the first time. I somehow didn't pick up on the discussion going on about me and this big messy family that summer, so I was unprepared for when Emma gave me that smile again." Roxy gave a little grumble.

"She told me that she had always wanted a sister, but that her mother couldn't have children. Emma herself had been an unexpected and dangerous accident, and with Vivian's heart condition it could have killed them both. She also point blank stated that her family was difficult at times, that they had gotten into trouble before, and sometimes got into trouble still. Emma rolled over in a pillow fort and calmly asked me if I wanted to be her sister- if I wanted I could be Rochelle Dalton. The rest is history."

"So, you got to chose?" Raph noted out of the silence of his brothers before he stepped forward to pull the roast out for one last time.

Roxy nodded sweetly, "I think it was the best decision of my life."

"So, what happened to the nuns?" Mikey asked pulling down plates.

Roxy grinned again, "The nuns are still in contact and I use some of my share to fund their interests and care. We do skype calls once a month, and when I am in France we usually go see them."

Further questioning was interrupted by a loud chirped ringing coming from the pocket of Roxy's apron. Emma had finally landed and would be home soon. While the sisters chatted away the brothers went about setting out the plates and utensils for the food. Donatello had remained quiet until Emma arrived. For him the learning about Roxy was beyond interesting, but it also confirmed his suspicions. Emma had always been Emma- blunt, clever, and just a little bit magic. He watched as Roxy locked onto her taller sister in a sweet embrace. Those mercury and emerald eyes glanced about the kitchen before one manicured brow lifted in question.

"What have all of you been up to tonight?"

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 _ **Love Hate Relationship:**_

The brothers were late, that should be noted. However, they had been assured by the girls that they intended to stay up for a scary movie marathon. So, when they heard a telltale creepy soundtrack playing they invoked their top ninja skills to creep as close as possible. Which appeared to be over looking the main staircase giving them a perfect view of their prey. Yet, they paused at a sudden outburst.

Unknown to the brothers, Victoria had not been paying much attention to the old thriller that was playing. Instead, she had been focused on Emma. While her darling cousin appeared to be over the moon about Donatello there had been a noticeable drop in her mood ever since he and the Hamato brothers had entered their lives.

The redhead snatched up the remote to pause the program and snapped, "What is wrong with you?!"

Emma baulked at the unexpected outburst. It didn't help that Victoria had managed to bark at her right as the climactic murder was set to commence. She managed to blink, and press a hand to her racing heart, "Ummm?"

Victoria slinked up to the couch and jabbed a finger into Emma's shoulder, "You are my cousin and I love you. But, you are an annoyingly confident. It's normally like living with Wonder woman with the way you stomp around with all the secrets of the universe. Yet, the past few days you have been more Wednesday Addams than Wonder Woman. WHY?"

"I hate to agree with Victoria, but you have been a little blue", Roxy snuggled into her sister's side from where she had been peeking through her fingers to watch the movie.

Emma looked between them, and heaved a sigh. "It's petty', she mumbled.

The other two lock on either side of her.

"It shouldn't bother me. I shouldn't let him bother me, but it does."

"It's stupid honor boy isn't it!" Victoria snaps crossing the room for the bar and grabbed a handle of scotch with tumblers.

"Yes, lubricant! Lubricant makes everything better", Roxy cheered taking her glass.

"Go on", Victoria urged pressing a glass into Emma's hand.

Emma pondered the liquid a moment before downing it in a single chug. Despite the confident move she sputtered a moment before answering, "Yup, that is the peat smoked whiskey, isn't it?"

"What's the matter, you lost your taste for it?" Victoria teased.

Emma shook her head and held out her glass for another short pour, "No. Just warn me next time!"

They all giggle as they pour her another oblivious to the brother who watched them. Emma curled her legs under her. "He hasn't done anything… it's just how he looks at me. He has these beautiful blue eyes and they make me feel like scum."

Emma took another gulp and gave a growl. "And what's worse even when I can feel his judgement with every fiber of my being I can't hate him. I adore the bastard. He is good, kind, and a literal hero. Plus, even if I could materialize a real insult out of it I can't just take a shot at him. He is the leader and the eldest brother. I'd lose Donnie… I can't lose Donnie."

"Honor boy can suck it!" Roxy cheered downing her own tumbler.

"He has an impressively minimal view of the world. Things are black or white to him. We live in color. He just needs to taste the rainbow", Victoria snickered.

Emma giggles, "There is a dirty joke in there somewhere."

"Well, Vicky's dirty everywhere, so who's surprised?" Roxy giggled topping them all off.

"Stupid pretty blue eyes", Emma twirled her now empty glass.

Above them Donatello fell back, and paid no mind to his brothers following him. Once safely back on the rooftop he heaved a sigh. His hands gripped at the wall of the terrace and he gazed over it to watch traffic move below.

"Come one Don… It wasn't all bad! Leo has pretty eyes", Mikey gave his best attempt but it obviously fell flat.

"Don, I really- I really haven't tried to make her feel uncomfortable", the eldest murmured. Guilt twisted his gut, but he had been unaware that Emma had noticed anything. He certainly didn't like the situation, but he had no ill will against the woman herself at all.

"She's perceptive and sensitive", Don spoke softly.

"Hey, from someone who regularly earns those looks from our fearless leader- give it time. Even Leo can admit that Emma and her family just grow on you whether you like it or not." Raph's heavy grip encased Donatello's shoulder.

"I'll try harder Donnie", the leader's voice was sincere and resolute.

"I know... it's just that I feel like I should have known. I should have been paying more attention. She is afraid to come to me about it, and I didn't notice." Raph's iron grip shook him.

"Dude, it's cool. She has her squad down there, and they will help her out tonight. She'll come to you about it when she's ready. In the meantime, as your wingman I have to remind you that your girl is down there getting hammered in her PJ's without you", Mikey smirked.

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 **Author's note-**

So, first thank you so much to EVERYONE who has reviewed, commented, followed, favorited, left kudos, etc! You mean the world to me, and the constructive reviews have been so helpful! I am so incredibly grateful, and I can't believe how many reviews this is getting. You are all wonderful!

 **This has now been put through it's paces by my darling Dragon!**

 **Reviews** are incredibly important to me because they are my only real way to gauge the audience. I welcome all feedback, so please let me know how I did! Thank you so much for reading!

I thought the short stories would be a nice change of pace, so I may do something similar again later in this story.

Love,

Violet Blak


	11. Playing Doctor

**I'm Listening**

 **Disclaimer:** Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon and its creators. I make no monetary profit from this work it is only for entertainment.

 **Author's Note: 2014 Movie-Verse -** Rated M for a reason! This work contains sexual content, violence, and at times dark themes that will become more developed as the story continues- you have been warned. Also, I have messed with the timetable the story is set in current time, but the guys are in their mid twenties- so the events of the movie would have happened around 2004.

 _She was vulnerable when it came to him_

 _He had crashed through her universe kissing her soul_

 _~N. R. Hart_

 **Chapter 11: Playing Doctor**

It had been six hours. The purple banded ninja had tried to distract himself. He had updated a program. Changed the fluids in the new vehicle. His to-do list was complete, and yet he felt no satisfaction. His thumb swiped over the screen of his T-phone for the umpteenth time that afternoon. Again, there was nothing from his girlfriend.

Worry twisted his gut. It was not like Emma to ignore him. She often gave him a heads up if she got swamped with work or her boisterous family. He always appreciated how she never left him out of the loop, but now under the approaching seventh hour of silence he felt abandoned. Emma was blunt, bossy, and busy. She was one to over communicate rather than stew in silence. He growled as another series of less than pleasant scenarios ran through his mind to answer why she had been silent for so long.

His brothers had taken notice of his almost aggressive efficiency. Leo seemed the only one willing to breach his silence. The eldest chuffed from the lab door. The normally gentle brother reeled sharply with a barely concealed growl. Don was normally only like this if he had gone too long without sleep, or if he had somehow been deprived of caffeine. However, in the last few weeks Emma seemed to spark these reactions often while he wa totally unaware. Leo bit back a smirk as he watched his brother throw him a withering stare. His most intellectual brother had turned out to be rather primordial when it came to his female.

"Did you have a fight with Emma?" The eldest brother lifted a brow with his blunt question.

"No!" Donatello snapped, but seemed shocked at his own outburst and quietly backpedaled, "I am just worried."

The elder brother only lifted a brow. He watched with interest as the taller brother rose to pace about his lab wringing his hands. He babbled over how Emma never went this long without responding to him unless she had gone to bed for the night. Points were made over how Emma did in fact lead a dangerous lifestyle. Her family or her fortune made her a target for any number of unspeakable crimes which Don seemed to have spent the better part of the day fantasizing about. Worry creased the blue banded ninja's brow as he watched his brother shuffle about and ramble with all the sense of a conspiracy theorist.

"Don, it'll be nightfall soon. We were going to go for a run tonight anyway. We can leave early so that you can check up on her." Leo offered calmly.

Don paused in his pacing to eye his brother. His question was put forth quietly, "And that would be alright with you?"

Leo snorted, "You are addled over it, and you won't be much good for the team if you are distracted. Not to mention if you keep pacing like that the lab is going to have a ditch."

Don nodded slowly, and eased back into his seat with a belated chuckle. His mind seemed to slow on the notion that he could go check the house, and hopefully find her with a broken phone or perhaps the wireless connection had gone down in her home? There had to be an explanation, and he only hoped it would be a simple one.

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When nightfall arrived the brothers found themselves racing to keep up with their lanky brother to get to the Dalton estate. Once on the rooftop the brothers allowed Don to go down alone while they moved on ahead to their first location to patrol. The genius has waved them off quickly as he rushed towards the elevator and security keypad.

Donatello was instantly confused when he entered the Dalton home. There was no sound as he crept through the dark home. He found her bed empty and her scent too faded to be of any use. When the elevator doors opened on the first floor he again found there to be no lights on, and no scents from the kitchen. However, just as his heart began to race he noticed the odd shaped pile of blankets on the couch. A small and wheezy cough confirmed that there was someone in that cocoon.

"Emma?" He cautioned peeling back the down blankets.

A small pained grunt answered him, as he found his sweetheart to indeed be the center of the pile. Her cheeks were flushed, and she was scalding to the touch. Now that she was uncovered and waking, he could hear the crackling to her breathing. His relief over finding her was swept away by worry about her obvious illness. Her eyes opened weakly, and she curled into herself with a series of shuttering "seal" coughs.

Her mouth opened to speak, but it was a raspy whisper that even he couldn't discern. What was worse were the next round of coughs that followed her attempt to talk. He ached with each course. He scanned the room around them and found an assortment of grocery bags on the coffee table. He cradled her now upright form to his plastron as he used his free arm to riffle through the bags. The first one might as well have been a treasure chest. In it were a collection of tidy pharmacy bags containing medicine, descriptions of them, and a print out of her doctor's orders.

Scanning the document he found that she had gone to the doctor that morning. She had presented with an obvious case of strep and bronchitis, and tests confirmed it. He found a cough syrup, something for her fever and discomfort, and an inhaler. It turned out his princess was prone to bronchial symptoms anytime she was ill. The cough syrup in particular was very strong, and explained why she was even now still rousing.

Emma on the other hand tugged at one of the straps across his chest to gain his attention. He found her staring at him with a confused and unusually shy expression. One hand curled to cover her mouth and ruddy nose. Her cheeks were too red from fever for him to tell if any of it was from what appeared to be embarrassment. After a moment she seemed to shrink under his observation, and she opted to reach for his phone. Her fingers scrambled over the keys before she turned it back to him.

"What are you doing here? I'm sick and gross!"

He scoffed at the message, and he pointed an indignant finger at her as he ranted. "What am I doing here?! You didn't tell me! I haven't heard a peep from you all day, and considering our backgrounds you know the many terrifying ways I imagined you to be kept silent! I thought you were bleeding in a ditch or being held for ransom or a million other things… Why didn't you tell me? I could have helped? Why are you alone?..."

His rant was cut short by a small hand doing it's damndest to cover his mouth. He growled against her pale hand in some small show of defiance, and watched as she began to again type. He found himself noticing the circles under her eyes, and the strained sound of each breath acted as a hammer to his haughty tone.

The screen flickered before his eyes again. It was a passage this time. She claimed she woke up with the symptoms, and went straight to see her doctor. Roxy had gone to go see her long distance boyfriend to settle whether or not that relationship would continue, so she was alone. Apparently, Victoria had been kind enough to drop off her care package and medicine, but refused to stay and be exposed to the very severe strep throat. She then went into a tangent of her own about how she was disgusting, and didn't want him to see her like this, and that she didn't want to expose him to the infection. Lastly, she claimed that she had in fact sent him a message explaining that she was sick and going to be taking cough syrup hours ago.

He frowned, and groped for her phone which had been abandoned among the bags. Sure enough there was a message still pending to be sent to him. He made a mental note to look into the issue, but focused on the now pitiful and pouting woman. She had realized she couldn't struggle out of his grip and settled on curling into herself as she sniffled and attempted to clear her throat.

"I'm sorry. I was just worried. You can't get me sick, trust me. It's one of the rare upsides of our difference genetically." He murmured pressing a kiss to the crown of her head. He felt her relax a bit, and continued with gentle strokes to brush her raven locks back away from her face. "You are far from gross. Though I have learned that you, my princess, are grumpy when you don't feel well."

He felt her snort, but before he could relish in the victory more of those deep chest seizing rasps took her breath away. He waited for them to pass, and rubbed her back through the over sized t-shirt she wore in hopes of soothing her. When she recovered he prompted her, "Now, when was the last time you ate and took a dose of these meds?"

She held up her fingers to show lunch time. Hence, she was past due for both a meal and one of each of the various remedies in the bag. He took his phone back and pulled his mic down in place from his headset. In his ear he heard it ring twice before Leo answered.

"Well, is she in a tower somewhere?" His elder brother teased.

"No, she has a horrible cold." He mumbled while easing her back down to her nest in the couch and swaddling her back into the warmth.

Emma for her part seemed to lose all her fight once she was cozy again. Her eyes were already closed when he turned to riffle through the other bags. He found soups, an entire baguette, fruit, juice, mint and lemon teas, and an assortment of other treats. He busied himself with taking the cans of soup and loaf of bread to the kitchen. He wasn't much of a cook, but he could microwave with the best of them. All the while he explained the situation to his elder brother.

"So, you are staying?" Leo sighed.

"Unless you absolutely need me tonight, I am." The purple banded brother nodded to himself in the oddly quiet kitchen.

"Fine", it was a curt sound, and told him that his brother was not in the mood to argue.

"I'll call you in the morning with an update." He sighed before tapping his phone to end the call.

He carried the now warm and fragrant goods back to the living room. Emma was already out cold, so he took a moment to turn on a lamp so that she could see. He then neatly arranged her various medicines on the other side of the coffee table. Finally, he turned to the task of waking her again. This time she outrightly rolled away from him, and whined when he scooped her up, cocoon and all.

Now done trying to play Mr. Nice Guy he simply sat down on the floor and arranged his keep in his lap. Rather than struggle, his Emma chose to face his chest this time and was already beginning to doze off again. Alas, she was not to have her way, and he easily turned her around to face the food.

"You can't go back to sleep until you take your medicine, and you can't take your medicine until you eat." He affirmed.

She crinkled her nose before she sent him a haughty look over her shoulder. However, he met her look with a smirk and plucky taunt, "I have not begun to pester you. Eat now, or learn from a mutant who has gotten Raphael through a cold."

He watched her lips give a smack, clearly aching to give him a lecture, but with her voice lost for the evening it was all the fight she had in her. Thus, she began to eat her soup. Again, he marveled at the difference in her behavior. Emma normally had spotless table manners, and now she leaned on the coffee table with one arm propping her head up. The other lazily spooned the chicken and noodle soup to her lips. Her head only lifted fully when she sipped at the large glass of water.

He allowed himself to gloat as she continued to eat. He reached around and found the remote. He turned on the projector and system, and enjoyed the fun of watching the screen roll down. This caught her full attention. Half a bowl of soup had done a good bit for her energy, and she made an adorable effort to take the remote from him. He relented, and allowed her to select an old movie. Thus, he found himself watching the 1962 version of Lawrence of Arabia.

Emma proved to still have an appetite he noted as she tipped the bowl to her lips in order to drink the remains of the broth. She was less enthused about swallowing the large pills and downing the thick cough syrup. He chuckled as she gripped her glass of water with both hands trying to drink away the bitter tastes. However, now that he was satisfied he moved them back to the couch.

Emma's only protest was directed at his gear which she tugged at and gave a little grunt at trying to remove. He appeased her, and rose to turn out the lamp again. He toed off his boots and made a neat pile of his gear near the couch. Emma gave him a lazy smile that eased his nerves as he faced her in just his athletic shorts. She welcomed him into her cocoon. The pair shifted about until they found a comfortable position on the large sectional couch. Donatello leaned back in the reclining corner of the sectional with Emma curled into his side. Between the thick blankets and her continued fever he was encased in warmth, noting that his girlfriend was already sound asleep nestled to his chest.

He gave a sigh, and set an alarm for her next dosage which was set to occur around 1am. Golden green eyes watched as her knee hooked over his thigh, her hand flexed and relaxed against the plates of his chest. A breathy sigh pushed past her lips, and under any other circumstance his libido would have begun to run the show. Right now however, he released a deep breath. His heart swelled at the sight of them so entangled. At how she eagerly nestled to him, and sighed when he tenderly stroked her achy joints under their warm blankets. When he pressed a kiss to her forehead she stirred. A smile curled her lips upwards, and she cast those mercury and emerald eyes up to him with the most warm and saccharine adoration he could imagine.

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Meanwhile in Brooklyn, Leo frowned at the his T-Phone. A snort caught his attention, and cast it to Raph. Those challenging golden eyes were set with a glare. He tipped his chin up, and gave a grunt.

"So, what's up with Emma?"

Leo sighed, and slipped the phone into it's pocket amongst his belts. "Don says she is sick, and has been out most of the evening. He is playing doctor for the night."

Mikey gave a whoop, "Yah! At least Don is getting some action."

Leo only rolled his eyes, and shifted his gaze to the oddly quiet city.

"Leo?" Mikey's voice took on a decidedly gentle tone that the eldest knew meant trouble.

Sure enough when he turned to face his youngest brother those pale blue eyes were full of questions. That look was a patented heart breaker, and normally was reserved for when they had particularly negative encounters with humans. Then, the soft and genuine question turned his gut.

"Why don't you like Emma?"

"Mikey… It's not that I don't like Emma. It's more complicated than that." He offered gently.

"So, uncomplicate it", Raph sniped from his leisurely position against a wall.

The eldest rubbed at the bridge of his blunt nose. "Emma is in control of an oppressive amount of money, for starters. Then, there is her "family" and history with criminals. Criminals, you know the people that we spend our nights correcting."

"But she said they were all straight now." Mikey countered.

"She said most of them have stopped their illegal activity. Most, not all of them. That's a key word. Plus, we know little about her or this family despite the fact that Don himself has attempted to find out all he can. Emma's need for secrecy leaves plenty of room for concern. I realize that she has obvious affections for Don, I don't question that. Don't get me wrong. But… that doesn't change the fact that she is full of potentially dangerous secrets and has the funds allotted to that of a small country."

"Well, don't hold back, fearless leader", Raph rolled his eyes.

"Tell me one thing that I said that wasn't true", he snapped.

It was a little too forceful. He knew it the minute Raph's eyes narrowed, but it was too late. The largest ninja had caught the slight crack in his fasode. Those fierce gold eyes narrowed, "What else is there?"

Refusing to flinch, Leo squared his shoulders. "Have you not noticed the simple fact that the Foot has gotten more intense in their hunt for the lair, or how close they are getting now?"

"Bro, Don checks her before she comes into the lair. There is no way she has any kind of tracker." Mikey waved him off.

"Don also can't find much information on her…" The leader struggled to articulate his concern.

"You think she has access to tech Don can't detect?" Raph arched a brow.

"Maybe, or perhaps it's more that that tech has access to her? Plus, there is the fact that we were ambushed the very night that they met in person. That still bothers me. They have never just found us like that before." Leo huffed.

"So, you don't know how, but just that Emma is bad news?" Raph grumbled in an aloof way that usually meant the leader had disappointed him.

"I just have a bad feeling about the situation. When something is too good to be true, it usually is." Leo sighed, but he could see that Raph was done listening.

Mikey looked between his two elder brothers with worry. Donatello finding Emma had been something of an inspiration. So what is she was related to some criminals? Emma got upset about not tipping the pizza guy. She was kind, thoughtful, and most of all she was head over heels for Don. She made him so happy, and vice versa. Don wasn't the kind of guy who just smiled constantly. The genius got excited about the normal stuff, and when he fixed or discovered something. But Emma just made him cheese constantly. She lovingly covered him in kisses and was happiest wrapped up in his scales.

Yet that didn't mean Leo was wrong. Instinctively Mikey wanted to dismiss any possible doubts concerning the curvy brunette. Leo's worries were not easily explained away. If Leonardo had simply claimed that Emma was using Don, he would have laughed. She swooned over the lanky nerdling on a regular basis, and he himself had walked in on one of their makeout sessions. She was, however, tight-lipped on the matter of her uncles and most of her father's activities. The concept that Emma could be used against them unknowingly, that was concerning. It rang all too familiar to what had happened to April. But Emma was smart. She was able to stump Don and Leo regularly. She wouldn't be easily taken advantage of or manipulated.

The final thought acted as a balm to the youngest's nerves. Emma was brilliant, and he trusted her. Don trusted her. Raph even liked her. Hell, their father trusted her. Emma was good, and sooner or later that would sink in for Leo.

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The quiet chirp of his phone woke him, and he swiped it to quickly end the needling little noise. Emma made a small frustrated noise against his chest that tugged at his lips. He was growing more and more fond of his grumpy and sickly little princess. It also helped that her color was returning, and the pink to her cheeks was steadily easing.

He pressed a kiss to the crown of her head, and nuzzled at her soft raven locks. He hummed when he felt her burrow further into him, and he distantly noted that he was not the only one who was lacking in clothing. While he had stripped down to the athletic shorts that functioned as briefs for him Emma was missing many parts of her accoutrements. The most notable absence was her bra. Her large breasts pressed so intimately to his chest was a tad distracting. The oversized T-shirt acted as a nightgown since it hung halfway to her knees, and in his shifting he could feel the boy-short cut panties that lay beneath. Emma's hair fell in particularly pleasant and messy waves over her shoulders. Her bare legs and exposed soft skin warmed his scales. It made the role of nurse a little hard to focus on.

Emma on the other hand, was placid and more interested in continuing to sleep rather than respond to his gentle attempts to wake her. A few tugs at her shoulder only made her wrinkle her nose, and actually saying the words wake up just earned him a poorly aimed swat towards the sound. It was more of a flail, but her message was clear. Emma was not interested in what ever he was commanding.

He gave a huff, and sat up again, gathering her, cocoon and all. He toted her to the kitchen where he settled his keep in one of the bar chairs at the large kitchen island. Once he was satisfied that she was awake enough to keep herself upright and in the chair he moved onto the next part of his agenda. He put the kettle on, and scoured the pantry for Emma's stash of tea. Fortunately his nose made it a short hunt, and he put the decorative box full of various teas next to her. She moved to argue, but only managed to clear her throat with a small rasp. Still voiceless, she just gave him a withering stare as she picked through the teas.

Donatello only chuckled and went in search of the leftover cookies Roxy had made a few days before. He was pleased she was getting some of her energy back even if it was used to make faces at him. He smiled despite himself. He couldn't get over how grumpy she was when she didn't feel well. She could give Raphael a run for his money. Though in her tired, messy and half-dressed state he had to resist pinching her cheeks. Even now she glowered at her selected tea bag, and arranged her blanket throne.

His inner swooning was interrupted by the whistle of the kettle. His limbs moved into action and he carefully poured the hot water into the cup. Emma accepted the cup that he slid across the counter and and into her hands. Again he found himself lingering next to her watching her dip the tea sachet into the steaming water. Her expression relaxed as the aroma of the spiced tea rose.

He watched as her full lips curved into a smile. She grasp the large cup with both hands, and sighed with each sip. The lilac and navy blankets she had swirled about her only added to the adorable scene. Her mercury eyes caught his and he watched a fresh blush rush to her cheeks. The words bubbled up in a reverent whisper before he could stop them.

"I love you so much…"

Her eyes fluttered back to him and the seconds ticked by in deafening silence. The purple banded ninja baulked and began to pace about the kitchen in panic. His voice shifting in pitch and a trace of his stutter returned.

"You don't have to respond. I know you can't respond. Of course you can't. Your voice is compromised, but even if it wasn't you are in no way required to respond."

Emma only blinked as he circled the kitchen island and her perch. His arms flailed and he seemed happy to look franticly anywhere but directly at her. The dark haired girl held up a hand from what now felt like a blanket trap. Her would-be lover was too busy dredging a hole in the floor to notice her struggle.

"I'm so sorry. I never meant for to tell you like this. I mean honestly I knew how I felt the night I met you. I have, but I had hoped to make a moment of my confession. Really. I had ideas. There should have been candles and wine and …"

Amidst his flailing Emma managed to reach for him. Her fingers caught the elastic waist of his shorts. He was moving too quickly for her to get a good grip, but the loud snap of the material slapping against his scaled hips was enough to snap him out the impromptu fit. He stood perfectly still for a moment and seemed to gather himself.

His turned to face her, and she could see the dark flush to his cheeks. However, when she only extended her arms with fingers flexing he rushed to her. His arms pulled her tightly to him. He pressed his face into her neck eager to take in her soothing and rich scent. Emma seemed nearly as ferocious in her attempts to crush him to her. Small hands smoothed over his shell and shoulders, and kneaded at the taunt muscles in his neck. For a moment, the pair just remained locked and when their grip finally eased Emma covered his face in a flurry of kisses.

It was enough to draw a small chuckle from him. Emma was the first to pull away, and after a final struggle she managed to get down from the chair and away from her blanket trap. She wobbled a bit, but despite her dizziness she crossed the kitchen with some measure of confidence. Once she was close enough she swiped her prize, the magnetic notepad and pen from the refrigerator. She leaned heavily on the counter as she began to rapidly scrawl across the small pages.

Her lover edged closer to get a look at what she was doing, but she simply huddled over the small pad of paper more. If it kept people from cheating off of her work in middle school it would be enough to keep him at bay for the moment. Once she was finished she slid the pad across the cool surface of the counter. Donatello made no effort to disguise his eagerness, and yoinked it the moment it was within range.

His honey and sage eyes drank in her neat penmanship. Slowly, he read each line, and many he re-read again and again. The sentences were short. Her language as clean and clear as always.

"I love you. I love you so deeply that it takes on meaning in every facet of my life. I love each scale. I love each laugh and chortle. I love each sarcastic comeback. I fall a little deeper each time I get a glimpse at your mind. Your brilliance leaves me in awe and your kindness never wanes. You have given me more than I could have ever hoped for my darling, and I will never be able to repay you. I love you, Donatello."

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 **Author's note-**

So, first thank you so much to EVERYONE who has reviewed, commented, followed, favorited, left kudos, etc! You mean the world to me, and the constructive reviews have been so helpful! I am so incredibly grateful, and I can't believe how many reviews this is getting. You are all wonderful!

~I'm so sorry this isn't steamier. I intended to make it so, but then is just ended up soft and sweet… but the plot thickens. Strap in the next few chapters will be a bumpy ride.

~.^

 **This has now been put through it's paces by my darling Dragon!**

 **Reviews** are incredibly important to me because they are my only real way to gauge the audience. I welcome all feedback, so please let me know how I did! Thank you so much for reading!

Love,

Violet Blak


	12. Throw Me to the Wolves

**I'm Listening**

 **Disclaimer:** Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon and its creators. I make no monetary profit from this work it is only for entertainment.

 **Author's Note: 2014 Movie-Verse -** Rated M for a reason! This work contains sexual content, violence, and at times dark themes that will become more developed as the story continues- you have been warned. Also, I have messed with the timetable the story is set in current time, but the guys are in their mid twenties- so the events of the movie would have happened around 2004.

 **Author's Note: -** Ok, I gave a little warning at the end of the last chapter. The next few will be a bumpy ride so hang on. The truth isn't simple, and it's gonna hurt.

 _The only true wisdom is in_

 _Knowing you know nothing._

 _~Socrates_

 **Chapter 12: Throw Me to the Wolves**

The heavy wood door slammed shut with a powerful boom. The brunette fumed, still poised even after the powerful push. The rose-blonde was already stomping across the elegant foyer while making a whirling growl. Her taller sister followed in this war path towards the kitchen.

"This can't be happening!" Roxy snarled slamming things about in the kitchen.

"Roxy what are you doing? We just got back from lunch", Emma's tone was distant and clipped.

"The worst lunch since the Paris 2005 debacle! And if I remember right, you didn't eat a bite during that whole affair." The petite sister barked, pulling leftovers from the fridge.

Emma's gaze met her sister's and for the first time in over an hour Roxy saw more than just chilling rage. Those mercury eyes held fathoms of fear, and the small tremor to her hands was noted. Roxy set down the tupperware and moved the kettle from the eye of the stove. She crossed to guide Emma to a chair. Once they were both seated the rose-blonde took up her sister's hands in some attempt to still their trembling.

"We could have never predicted this", Roxy spoke sternly.

"Roxy… I don't even know where to begin", Emma whispered franticly.

"Ok. Lets run it down. Artemis doesn't have much tact when it comes to these kinds of things, and even less when it's an issue where lives are at stake. Hence, I can forgive her later for being an ever-loving cunt at lunch. Just remember she's your best friend, not mine. In this moment though, I wouldn't mind clocking her with an iron skillet. What is even more concerning is that now two family members are gone." Roxy began to rattle off the information that had been difficult to digest at lunch.

"Uncle Neptune's clan has been attacked by the Foot clan in Japan. They are purposely trying to take out the only balancing yakuza clan left in control of that whole district. All signs point to the police force either being bought or manipulated into looking the other way. And we now know for sure that they are rebooting the project." Emma swallowed thickly.

"We have a stack of stomach turning evidence. Especially with Mona's professor abducted. We are just lucky that he happened to tell her about his concerns before he went missing." Roxy gave a defeated sigh.

"I… I have to do it. I have to mobilize the family. I have to mobilize everything. If we wait this window will close, I will be powerless to do much more than watch as… Roxy, how am I going to tell Donnie?!" A sob crawled up Emma's throat.

"He's coming by tonight, right?" Roxy shushed the brunette and pulled her into a tight embrace. She felt Emma nod, and she stroked her hair lovingly. "Then, we will tell him. We will tell them all together. You and me. They will listen. They will hear us, and see the evidence. They are not going to like it, and I may have to hogtie Leo, but we will show them what's coming. They will understand what we have to do."

Emma pressed a kiss to her sister's cheek and swiped away her tears. "You're right. They will listen. We will make this right."

Roxy gave a sharp nod, and casually returned to warming leftovers. A giggle bubbled up from Emma behind her, and it quickly turned into a boisterous laugh. Emma wheezed as she attempted to say just what amused her, but the last vestiges of her cold kept her coughing for a moment.

Roxy waited in suspense until Emma's features relaxed and she managed to eek out, "Please tell me you are actually going to hogtie Leo."

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Belowground Donnie was working on Emma's phone. The issue of her messages never sending had continued, so while he had nursed her for two days he also did some tinkering. He cloned her phone to an older one she had hanging out in a desk drawer. This allowed him to take her phone back to the lair where he could repair the software or do a full reset on it. All the while Emma would never have to be without her phone.

He had been surprised by how easily she agreed. This also meant that she was handing over access to things that came in on her phone. Emma had assured him that it was fine, and only asked that he didn't respond to anything. Which had been easy until about two in the afternoon. Then, it began to ring constantly. It interrupted the update he had hoped would fix the issue.

Leo had posted up in the lab. Initially, this had been because the toaster had been broken. It was a running joke that Leo couldn't cook. Throughout their teen years the eldest and most honorable brother had broken or lost it with the retro toaster. So, when he showed up with the smoking hunk of metal it had caused a series of cracks at the fearless leader's expense. It was a nice and rather relaxing time for the brothers who had been coping with the tricky topic of Emma and her family.

The mood had changed when the phone wouldn't stop ringing. The elder brother seemed concerned, and they discussed contacting Emma to see that everything was alright. Don urged that Emma would let them know, and moved to silence the phone. He had intended to swipe across the phone to ignore the fifteenth call from Artemis. His large digit had not registered against the screen of the currently glitchy phone. Instead he accidentally answered.

"Emma! Emma are you there!? You can't just walk out on me that way!" The voice boomed from the small phone with irate authority. "You can't walk out on Mona! You already confirmed most of what we needed to know about project Renaissance at lunch. I just need you to answer the other questions!"

A pin could have dropped in the lab. The elder brother moved closer to Donatello who seemed to be a deer in headlights. He simply stared at the phone where more shouting came from.

"Please, Emma we will do this with or without you. BUT you KNOW what a difference you will make to the outcome. We can't go into this half cocked. We need to know everything about this project. We need to know all the movements going on here in the US, specifically in this city. You know the stakes!"

Don snapped back to reality. His still hovering finger jabbed at the red button, ending the call. As soon as the line went quiet he crumpled forward with a shuddered breath. His brother steadied him and hauled a chair over. The lanky reptile sank into the seat with his head in his hands.

"Don…", The blue eyed brother whispered quietly.

"They know about Project Renaissance…" Donatello mumbled. "The only people alive who know about the project outside of April, Casey and our family are the Foot Clan."

"Who is this Artemis?" Leo tightened his fists in order to cling to some semblance of calm.

"She is Emma's best friend. She's in town for a while… Leo I never used the word name of our experiment. I just told Emma it was an experiment. I-I never thought she would say a word." Don felt his veins run cold.

"You think Emma has sold us out to her family then?" The elder brother leaned forward to grip the desk.

Don didn't look up. He shook his head subtly. His relationship with Emma rolled through his mind at high speed. His mind was running at a viscious speed. She could have used him from the start. Why else would she have sought him out? Why else would she have not run away or been afraid when she laid eyes on him. Every other human had. Even April fainted! Not Emma though!

"No, I-I think that I have been played from the start." Don took a shaky breath, and looked at the phone. As if aware of his rage the phone rang again. This time Don snatched it up and hurled it into the nearby wall. It burst into pieces on impact, but Don showed no sign that he wanted it cleaned up. Leo cautiously looked from the shattered phone to his normally gentle brother.

Don's head snapped up and he pinned his brother with a harsh glare and snarled, "Are you happy now?!"

"Don", Leo began quietly as his stomach dropped.

"NO!" Don began to rant loudly. "No, you were right! Emma has clearly sold us out. She has already confirmed most of what they need to know. Now, they just want to isolate our movements! It's just the little details!"

"Emma...", again Leo only managed to get one word into his sentence before Donatello cut him off.

"I guess when something seems too good to be true it probably is, right?!"

Leonardo watched in horror as Don began to pull on his gear. The normally docile genius continued to ramble on. Each topic was darker and more painful for the katana wielder to hear.

"After all, why would she love me?! How could she love me!?" Don barked digging around the pockets that lined his front. Finally, he pulled out the slip of paper.

Leonardo recognized it the moment he saw it. That was the page filled with Emma's confessions of love. He watched in horror as Don began to rip it into bits. His ranting had quieted to mutterings. The leader was woefully out of his depth. His father was likely across the lair, and he didn't feel comfortable leaving Donnie alone. It had been a gloomy, storm-filled day, so Raph and Mikey were scouting the tunnels for signs of the encroaching foot clan.

"Leo, I-I have to do something about it. I have to go now", Donnie asked quietly, taking up his bo.

Leo felt his heart break. Moments ago, Donnie had been in love. Even now, the leader struggled to digest the information that had been revealed. He had his suspicions, but nothing like this. Donatello seemed certain though, and he feared letting the genius run off alone.

"Donnie, please. Just take a minute. We need to think about this. We don't know for sure if-", Leo was again cut off.

This time Don had raised a calm hand. His eyes were downcast, and he quietly offered, "No. We do know. You have known all along. Emma didn't love me. Emma was using me. She has all they need now. I just… I just need to fix it."

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Leo followed his brother over the gloomy rooftops. He had only agreed because he feared allowing Don to go alone, or rather that Don would find a way to go alone. It was somehow the lesser of two evils to not be his brother's enemy in these moments. Yet, even now he felt as though he had swallowed rocks.

Several rounds of trying to talk the genius out of it had only cemented the conclusion Donatello had come to. Emma had been pumping him for information. He was now only confused as to whether she had feelings for him at any point in the relationship. His brother viewed himself as a toy that had been favored by a cat, played with and then to be destroyed. Donatello was now set on confronting Emma to figure out how to move forward.

Leonardo was less convinced. Donatello, even this upset, had been able to assemble a list of what now seemed to be a slow manipulation. He was even now certain that she might have even known that he was a mutant when they met. For the leader, it was hard to process the theory. For the last several weeks he had considered a number of theories for Emma's presence and secrecy. Her feelings and attraction to Donnie had never been questioned. His brother disagreed entirely, and would only back down to a theory that she might have had feelings for him, but she had still betrayed them.

The eldest fought the sinking sensation in his gut as Don entered the rooftop door to the Dalton home. There was no need to search for the young woman. Emma was seated at her desk with Roxy lingering on one of the sofas with her laptop. They both turned with welcoming smiles as they entered.

Those smiles fell when they saw the quick approach. Emma must have noticed Don's expression. Her brow furrowed, and she stood, reaching out for his approaching frame. His brother stalked up to her with aggressive purpose, and the eldest saw the confusion flit over her features.

"I know, Emma!" Don barked harshly.

Emma blinked, and shook her head. Blue eyes watched her with precision. Her voice held a tremor in the face of Donatello's anger. "I don't understand?"

"Artemis called", a venomous sarcasm laced the taller brother's tone. He gave a dark chuckle at her shocked expression.

"No…" Emma's color became milky. Her eyes widened, and she moved to continue. Don was ahead of her though.

"Yes, apparently, they just need to isolate our location! You didn't leave much to the imagination in your lunch did you?!" He snarled.

"Donatello, it's not what you think. You just have to let us explain", Roxy yelled eyeing the blue banded brother.

Donatello only imposed his figure over Emma. She looked up at him blinking back tears and with trembling hands. When she reached for him he rebuffed her with a rumbling growl. The sinking feeling in Leo's stomach returned full force as for the first time Emma's scent bittered with fear.

"I didn't tell her anything", Emma whispered clasping her hands tightly. "Please, Donnie! I swear. They need to know about you, but I never told them anything. They are…"

"You really had me wrapped around your little finger didn't you!" The tall reptile snarled. "You made me believe you. You made me love you. Was any of this ever real? Was it?!"

Roxy had tried to move towards them, so Leo had been distracted when he heard the sob. A gentle gasp with a small cry to it. Her fear and tears filled the air, and Roxy began to yell obscenities at Donatello from around Leo who blocked her from getting closer. When the leader did turn around he saw Emma seem to change before his eyes.

Her sobs quieted. Emma's delicate pale hands curled into fists at her side. She straightened under Donatello's hulking figure, and drew herself to her full height. Her tear filled eyes combed over both turtles with something solemn and eerie to them. Seeing her mercury eyes with so little behind them was unnerving for the leader. It left him with his nerves on end and his scales pricked.

"Get out." It is a clear order forced out in a low tone.

Emma turned calmly walked around the other side of her desk and then past them. The rising fear they had seen vanished. She made her way to the elevator in some semblance of elegance. When the doors opened Roxy rushed to join her and clutched at her sister's hand. The doors closed and Donnie was already making his way up to the massive staircases in order to leave.

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Meanwhile, the other two brothers had muddled through their task. It had been quiet, and they felt drowsy from the weather. Mikey had been the one to point out that they had finished early. Early enough to go see the girls. He urged Raph with the knowledge that Roxy would be home, and probably cooking.

The hulking brother gave a snort, "You just wanna go see if Roxy is single."

Mikey gave a sheepish smile. His brother rolled his eyes, but began to head towards the girls' home. The youngest happily followed as they emerged from the tunnels under the cover of the stormy night. However, as soon as they set foot in the Dalton home they both could tell something wasn't right. Passing through the study only added more questions. Mikey's wide blue eyes searched the room as the stale scent of fear that permeated the room.

"Roxy! Emma!" Mikey began to call out for them as he burst into the hallway.

They were surprised when Roxy rushed out to meet them there in the elegant hallway. Her eyes were wide when Mikey ran for her. Her features relaxed when she found herself wrapped up in his arms, and she molded herself to him with deep sigh. She pulled back in order to search their eyes.

Roxy seemed confused, "You don't know?"

"What don't I know?" Mikey tried to smile, but Roxy's grave expression lingered.

"Donnie broke it off with Emma. He thinks she betrayed your family", Roxy's words were a whisper.

The brothers exchanged looks. A sob rang from the nearby doorway to confirm Roxy's words. Raph surged towards the sound. He found Emma standing over her bed stuffing clothing into a leather bag with one hand. The other was pressed to cover her mouth as another sob snuck past her lips.

"Hey dollface", Raph murmured cautiously moving towards her.

His gaze locked on the trembling form of Emma who was covering her mouth to muffle her gasps. She swiped at her tear stained cheeks. The largest brother opened his arms, and the raven haired woman sank into them. For several moments she seemed to hide among his strength and scales.

"Emma, we know you would never…" Mikey started, but Emma held up a hand.

The heiress took a deep breath, and managed to muster her decorum again. Her arms gave a purposeful squeeze to the powerful reptile that held her. Slowly, she stepped away from Raphael who still kept his arms out tending to her like a child taking its first steps. Tenderly, the raven haired girl reached out and stroked Mikey's cheek. Her eyes fell closed, "It doesn't matter… Donnie wouldn't listen. He..."

Her tears gather again, but she sucked in a shuddering breath, "I really loved him, and adored both you… truly."

"I have a plan, and I will do everything in my power to do what is right." Her words were steady and reverent as she zipped up the bag.

Mikey's blue eyes bore into her with worry and he eagerly embraced her. Emma's arms curled around his neck, and she pressed a kiss to his forehead when they parted. When she turned to Raphael his jaw was working seeming to chew on any half-cocked solution he could find.

She gave him a soft smile that was still too weak for his liking, but he mustered forth his voice, "Be good, dollface."

"I'll miss you big brother", she whispered gently as he set her back on her feet.

Roxy dipped under Raph's arm to give her sister a great hug. They parted after pressing their foreheads together. Emma shouldered a bag, and hung her purse on her elbow. They exchanged a short conversation in french before Emma turned and left.

Silence filled the space until Roxy began to pack her own bag. Her voice gently peeled away the silence. "Artemis came to us with Mona Lisa. They are considered family, and have been investigating a few family members who have come up missing. The answers were terrible, and in some twist of fate they involve the Foot clan. Just know that Emma did not tell them anything. But she can no longer keep the family sidelined… It may be for the best that Donnie ended it since we will soon be involved in a great deal of less than legal business."

"I don't understand… Donnie **loves** Emma, how could something like this happen in one night?" Mikey frowned.

Roxy's expression turned grim, "You didn't see the way Donnie looked at her, the way he acted, and the things he said when he was yelling."

The brothers blanched at how dark Roxy's tone had turned, "I never thought Donnie would ever lay a hand on Emma, but in that moment… I'm sorry boys. I really am, but I think you should go home. Please don't come back… it probably won't be safe for a while, and the family might start gathering. Please, be safe."

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Raphael numbly walked through the tunnels in silence with Mikey. It was something he wasn't sure they had ever done. Hell, when was Mikey ever quiet?! The smaller brother was obviously heartbroken, and seemed to be forcing each step towards home. Well, until they jumped from a tunnel entrance. Mikey bolted forward, and it wasn't until he heard the impact that he realized Donatello was waiting for them.

Mikey hovered over the taller brother with a rumbling growl. His fist still clenched, and his muscles still taunt from hurling all of his weight behind the punch. Leo snapped into action when it looked like Mikey was just waiting to give Don another. He hauled Mikey away and kept a good hold on the normally jovial brother.

Donnie stumbled up, "What the hell Mikey?"

Raph cracked his neck, "We just said goodbye to the girls."

Leo frowned, and kept his hold on Mikey. "We heard Emma's best friend go on about how she had already confirmed most of the information they needed. They just wanted to isolate our movements. It was by accident, but we heard it ourselves."

Raph looked between the brothers and chuffed, "I don't believe it."

"Emma would never do that!" Mikey barked, breaking out of Leo's hold.

"Mikey you don't understand", Leo attempted to sound gentle.

"No! You don't understand!" Mikey's voice warbled. "Emma has never been afraid. Never of any of us! She has defended us, and welcomed us! Now... now she is terrified!"

Donnie growled, "You think that it was easy! She may have never loved me! It may have all been a trap! I loved her!"

"Roxy said she thought you were going to hurt her- they were broken. Whatever you said and did broke them." Raph glared at his lanky brother.

"What I did?" Donnie sputtered.

"She couldn't breathe, Donnie!" Mikey barked. "When she saw me she was so scared she couldn't breathe! Even when she realized we didn't know… she shook in my arms. Emma was fearless, and you broke her! You!" Mikey was bellowing by the end of his speech.

Donnie went still at the words.

"Did she tell you anything?" Leo prodded gently to his abnormally calm red banded brother.

"They said they loved us, and to be safe. Said Don wouldn't listen, and to stay away from the house since the family might start showing up."

Leo frowned. That was not exactly what he had expected. He had expected some elaborate plea for innocence. Threats even. Donnie was still in shock when Splinter arrived home, and was briefed.

"My sons", he paused gently. "You cannot take back what has been done. Now, you must move forward."

Mikey moved to speak, but Splinter waved it away making his way to toward his room, "It is my hope that the path will be clearer in the morning."

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 **Author's note-**

So, first thank you so much to EVERYONE who has reviewed, commented, followed, favorited, left kudos, etc! You mean the world to me, and the constructive reviews have been so helpful! I am so incredibly grateful, and I can't believe how many reviews this is getting. You are all wonderful!

 **This has now been beta'd by my darling Dragon!**

 **The next few chapters will be bumpy as our next story arc takes shape. Strap in because it's a doozy!**

 **Reviews** are incredibly important to me because they are my only real way to gauge the audience. I welcome all feedback, so please let me know how I did! Thank you so much for reading!

Love,

Violet Blak


	13. Wool Over Your Eyes

**I'm Listening**

 **Disclaimer:** Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon and its creators. I make no monetary profit from this work it is only for entertainment.

 **Author's Note: 2014 Movie-Verse -** Rated M for a reason! This work contains sexual content, violence, and at times dark themes that will become more developed as the story continues- you have been warned. Also, I have messed with the timetable the story is set in current time, but the guys are in their mid twenties- so the events of the movie would have happened around 2004.

 **Author's Note:** Hey! I'm alive. Sorry for the delay. I have really been focusing on my health and fitness. I have been getting some real results, but the balancing act is hard. I normally write two days a week, but now I am in the in the gym 3-5 days a week, and in belly dance classes at least once a week. I am happy bc I am figuring out fitness that I enjoy, but I unbalanced not writing. I am trying to make time and do better, I swear!

 **Now back to the action- keep arms and legs in the vehicle at all times.**

 _Experience: that most brutal of teachers._

 _But you learn,_

 _My God do you learn._

 _~C. S. Lewis_

 **Chapter 13: Wool Over Your Eyes**

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The calm night was interrupted by the roar of the black shelby that devoured the highway. The raven-haired woman behind the wheel took measured breaths. Her mind ran at high speed to scrap together the information she had from all sides. A plan was already taking shape in her mind. It would require her to take up what some would call her birthright.

Emma heaved a sigh and let her eyes flick to the passenger seat. Her massive mutt slept soundly against the black leather seats. His snores and the heavy sound of the engine acted as a balm on her nerves. Shifting the four-speed through traffic out of the city had been sufficient distraction from the events at the beginning of the night. It was also a nice touch that this car had been one of her father's favorites.

Her uncle Hades had the classic muscle car sent into the city just a week ago as a surprise gift. At the time, she had been suspicious. Hades didn't send gifts without occasion. It wasn't her birthday, and holiday gifts were given in person. However, after the past 24 hours her gut told her that Hades knew what was coming. Hades was no gangster, but he understood the subtle signs and signals. If she was right, then her beloved and government employed uncle had sent her an early sign of support.

Support was something she felt in sore need of. Hades might only know something, or he may know everything. Either way, she trusted him to hash out her plan. She blinked sleepily as she read the sign, "Welcome to D.C."

She knew the turns by heart. Her uncle liked to live close to work, so she willed herself to carefully drive through the heart of the nation's capital until the line of townhouses came into view under the early morning rays. A rough giggle bubbled up her dry throat. There stood uncle Hades in his pajamas and a dark robe. A cigarette hung from his wry smile as he stooped to pick up his Sunday paper.

His features never hinted at surprise. He only lifted one dark brow and motioned her up the drive and into his garage. He opened her door, and took her hand to guide her from the low vehicle.

"Hello sweetheart", his deep voice was smoothed by a subtle southern accent eased over her as she cut the engine.

His rough hand helped her out of the car, and she teetered on her feet. Her uncle was ahead of her with an arm around her waist. He swept her into a hug. Strong arms pulled her into a powerful embrace, and he relaxed into his chest and breathed in his after shave. This uncle had always been her confidant and her hero. He had always managed to do the right thing with the least amount of dirt on his hands, often none.

She followed him in her exhaustion like a sheep. One hand on the small of her back steered her into his home. Cerberus happily plodded along and hopped up into a kitchen chair in her uncle's modest kitchen. Hades remained unfazed and he set her in the other chair. Once he was certain she would remain in the seat a large candy apple red coffee cup was set before her. He crossed the room with rich smelling coffee and poured her cup. His warm brown eyes bored into her before gliding to the cream and sugar on the table.

In her daze, Emma slowly began to dress her coffee. He moved back to the small kitchen and went about gathering ingredients. He lit a fresh cigarette before he set about whisking together eggs with cheese, spices and vegetables.

"Drink", he ordered. He watched her take a few sips, but he didn't go back to what he was doing until she took a gulp. "There's a good girl."

Emma closed her eyes as the hot liquid helped her mind fire. "What do you know?"

He gave a chuckle, "About what?"

His smirk ignited her temper, so she barked back, "What do you know about Project Renaissance?"

"I know more than the two who came to you about it", he stated calmly flipping the omelet.

"So, you know that they have resurrected the project?" She narrowed her gaze.

"Indeed, and it's not going so well. They can't seem to get the original chemical compound. They have less than a 10% success rate at the moment. Which is why we are so concerned. The foot clan appears to have two members of your father's old clan and a highly reputable doctor."

"If you have known all of this for a week… how could you not tell me!?" Emma snapped sloshing her coffee onto the table.

That smirk resurface and he casually snubbed out his cigarette before tending to the bacon. "I had assumed you boyfriend would tell you."

Emma's eyes flew wide, "You know about Donnie?"

"I have known about the survivors of Project Renaissance for some time." Hades gave her a genuine smile and crossed to the table with their plates.

"They have done some impressive things especially concerning the Foot Clan, but we did need to keep an eye on them for obvious reasons. However, I had never expected to see you in the arms of one of them." He spoke calmly and hauled his cell phone out of his pocket and after a few taps he slid it over to her.

There was a blurred photo of her embracing Donnie on her rooftop. He took a large swig of his coffee. The tears gathering in those stormy green eyes did not elude him. He watched his brave god daughter swipe them away. "He didn't know about the reboot, and he was fixing my phone when they came to New York. I'm not sure what he saw or heard, but the next time I saw him…He was certain I had betrayed them."

"So, we can't count on them. Should I consider them a threat?" He placed a firm hand on her shoulder.

Emma shook her head, "No. I don't think he would ever lay a hand on me."

"Good, now my brave girl", he paused to smooth his thumbs over her damp cheeks. "Eat your eggs. Then, we can talk about your plans."

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Sleep had evaded Donatello. He had tossed and turned. He ran the closer tunnels in some effort to quiet his mind. Still, nothing stopped the distant hum in his ears. There was some needling sensation to his otherwise numb form. He paced his lab and actually went about tidying it. It was only in the early morning hours that his hands sifted through the broken remains of Emma's phone. More specifically, the usable pieces that remained. If he could manage to build even it's most basic form he maybe able to use it to monitor the Dalton moves; in theory at least.

It was nearly noon when he managed to mix and match the recoverable bits with his scrapped T-phones. He was bleary eyed and severely lacking in caffeine. However, he had a functioning version of the phone. He had to operate it through a connected laptop, but it appeared to be working. Especially, the glaring voicemail notification. He licked his dry lips and tried to focus on the backlit screen. Finally, he gave in to the twisting in his gut.

He clicked the key to play the message. There was a pause before an error code displayed across the screen. Nothing. He had nothing.

Donatello felt his mouth go dry. A distant but encroaching ringing filled his ears. He knew the sensation. It normally followed as an aftershock through the body after a large explosion. Perhaps that was what this was. He vaguely was aware of his head easing to the desk, and that was his last memory before he was shaken. The jolt was powerful and rough enough to have only come from Raphael.

Sure enough, he sat up to find Raph waiting with something akin to concern across his feature. However, no sooner did he blink away the last remains of sleep did the beeping of the alarm register along with the flashing lights all across his security dash.

"This shit has been going off for a few minutes, but everything is fucked up!" Raphael growled motioning to the blinking and flickering monitors. They couldn't hold their display and several were down. Adrenaline rushed through his body at the realization. His security system was under attack!

"What the hell?!" Donatello baulked and rushed through diagnostics.

He could feel his brothers gathering behind him. Hear that they already had their gear on. Nothing was working. Every firewall seemed gone. There had to be a team working against him. There was no way for him to keep up with the damage.

"Donnie, what's going on?" Leo asked.

Don spun and moved to gather his gear. "We are under attack. My whole system has been rendered useless for the moment. It's probably a distraction."

"Any idea who exactly is attacking us?" Raph grunted.

Donatello flinched, but took up his bo, "No."

The brothers rushed to the center of the lair to find their father calmly awaiting the threat. The lights flickered before the power failed. The sudden darkness and silence was something of a balm compared to the sporadic alarm from before. Darkness gave them an exceptional advantage. A subtle shift in scent caught their attention and Leo gave the signal for Raphael to move towards the back entrance of the lair to seek it out. Leonardo himself moved towards the single click he heard at the main entrance while his brothers flanked him.

What they had not been prepared for was the explosion from above; dust clogged the air and a few shafts of light pierced the darkness.

The next round of events moved at a synchronized and high speed. In the center of the lab two figures dropped down. Donatello blinked as the pair grinned in the darkness. The two were men sporting vests covered in enough C4 to blow up the core of the lair. Both brandished triggers in their hands while one chuckled darkly.

"Nobody move or else we all go boom", the lankier male called out in a singsong tone.

The metal ring of Leonardo's swords drew their attention, but the pair stepped closer. "Not a muscle", the larger male barked out.

"Don't move! I have a clear shot", a blunt female voice commanded from behind them.

There was a crash, and the sound of shots fired. Their only comfort was the dark chuckle from their largest brother as he engaged whoever was behind them. Less soothing was the subtle sound of blows moving closer from the main entrance. Leo slipped between the bright drops of light and appeared to be taking a defensive track against another female opponent. This one they could see as she followed their brother.

She was similar to Emma in build and height and wore a tight suit which offered some modern kevlar armor. Her movements were quick and she was obviously well trained to take on bigger opponents. What was more shocking was when she lunged forward sending long waves dirty blonde locks over her shoulders. Her hands holstered the guns and swapped for a Kusarigama that hung about her hips. She threw the weighted ball straight up, seemingly in some kind of distraction.

Leo gave a yelp as she dove between his legs her hands reaching up as she passed to grip at his groin. The fearless leader went stock still at the unexpected contact, and only to give another grunt of pain in the split second he faltered. The woman had notched a hooked blade at the bottom most ridge of Leonardo's shell, and then used the wall behind him to rebound back to climb his shell and launch over his shoulder. As she landed the metallic chime of the chains pulling tight timed with Leo's grunt. She had used her catapulted weight to slam against the chain caught on the rafters and used all the upward force to the blade hooked against the bottom of Leo's shell and thigh.

The younger brothers visibly winced at the sight and sound while the bomb covered men chuckled. The young woman was ready for another strike. It was their father who broke through the high speed madness.

His authoritative voice boomed through the skirmishes, "Who are you and what do you want?"

The blonde gave a smirk as her opponent rose to his feet. She defiantly gave a cock of her head to the old master, "We are members on the Banshee Clan and we want to know what you did with Emma."

"Wait, you think we have Emma?" Raphael grunted from behind them.

They eased their vision to find him engaged with another woman. She was a little shorter and brandishing an odd looking rifle under Raphael's chin. She wore a similar suit and a modified motorcycle helmet. She also seemed entirely unfazed by the large sai pointed at her chest.

The two with the bombs spoke at once, "Her tracker lit up at noon from this location. She has been offline for nearly twenty-four hours. This is likely the last place she was."

"Tracker?" Donatello barked.

"When Emma's phone is damaged the tracker we hid in it activates", The two men explained.

Mikey held his hands up as he spoke, "Raph and I were the last ones who saw Emma last night. She was upset, and she left. Roxy wouldn't say where. But that was the last we saw of them."

"Why was she upset?" The woman near Leo snarled.

Donnie swallowed thickly, "I broke up with her."

"Wait!" the petite woman took her eyes off Raph, "You're Donatello?"

Donnie glanced about the chaos and gave a slow nod. "Yes, but we don't have Emma."

"Oh holy shit!" The blonde released her weapon before a flurry of curses fell from her pink lips.

"That's why she wouldn't budge", the woman before Raphael lowered her weapon.

"Talk about tampering with the research", the two men began to snicker. "I get the tall, dark and handsome thing now!"

"Why do you have her phone?" The woman pulled off her helmet all but ignoring Raphael.

It revealed another beautiful woman. Her eyes were a bright shade of hazel and her skin was a soft shade of cocoa. Once freed from the helmet her long hair fell in perfect twists to frame her elegant cheek bones. She stomped up to Donatello with wide hips swaying with purpose. Full lips drew into a snarl. "You!" She pushed a gloved finger into Donatello's chest, "Explain now."

"Emma and I had been seeing each other for-" Donnie began but was sharply interrupted.

"Not that! Why did you break up with her and why do you have her phone?" The woman barked bluntly.

"I was repairing Emma's phone yesterday, and I accidentally answered it." Donnie growled back his patience finally waning.

"Oh fuck", the blonde ambled closer, "I thought you were Emma on the phone."

"Exactly! Emma gave away our secrets, so I left her. Her phone was still in the lab", Don glowered at the two women.

The blonde shook her head, "Emma didn't give us a damn thing. She refused to do anything but listen, and even that took some real threat."

"What?" Leo grunted now free of the chains.

"Emma didn't tell us anything. She just reacted when we began to explain project Ren. We knew that she knew something, but she was viscous about keeping silent." The black haired woman clarified.

"I was trying to intimidate her into complying", The blonde gave a forced smile.

"Which has never worked before but sure, now it will be different. Classic Rexy", the shorter woman rolled her eyes.

"Wait, I thought Rexy was a dude Emma dated in high school." Mikey interjected.

"I am Rexy, and we did date in high was an all girls school. I go by code name Artemis." The blonde placed a hand on her hip and looked at them with crystal blue eyes unphased.

"Dude!" Mikey glanced between his brothers before trying again. "We thought you were a dude!"

"Well, their vocabulary skills need some work", The other woman sighed and snapped her fingers at the two men, "Can we establish contact with Olympus?"

The two men shook their heads skimming the armbands full of buttons and screens, "Nope! We've been burned. The family is not reachable."

The blonde gave a loud groan, and slapped on a smile. "Ok...I believe we have gotten off on the wrong foot. Let's start over, shall we?"

The ninja master gave her a stern look urging an uncomfortable chuckle from Rexy. "As we said, I am Rexy. Thing one and thing two over there are Emma's cousins and not so identical twins Alexander and Sebastian. I recruited them when they got kicked out of MIT a month ago."

The human men waved. The muscular one with the captain america haircut smiled sheepishly, "Call me Bash." He looked alarmingly like the photos they had seen of Emma's father.

The other brother was thin with sinewy muscle and a shaved head. All of his exposed skin except for his skull was covered in tattoos, and he gave them a wicked grin, "Lex."

"Finally, this beauty", the blonde slung an arm around her female cohort who only glared at her. "This is Simone, code name Mona Lisa. I had to steal her from her studies. But you could understand how having a biochemical engineer would be crucial to this crack team. Plus, she's Hercules' daughter, so she is one hell of a shot."

"Well, this is anticlimactic", the human brothers snickered.

"Now that the danger has passed, please remove your weapons", Splinter motioned to their vests.

The brothers looked down before laughingly following Splinter's request.

"Oh, no worries- this is totally not a weapon", Bash smiled. "It's just rigged with playdough."

Leo dragged a hand down his face as more debris fell from the damaged sections of the lair.

"Well, what now?" Mikey grumped.

"We must find Emma", Splinter reminded them.

Rexy squared her shoulders, "Right. You two mongrels!" She pointed to the twins. "I want to know every time her passports are checked. If she spends a traceable dime we know where and when. Got it? We may get a few hours of heads up when she comes back to the city to settle the documents. Then, we strike."

"You intend to kidnap Emma?" Splinter lifted a brow.

Rexy nodded, "Worked for her parents right?"

"Ok, I may regret asking this, but has anything like this happened before?" Leo moved to the still stock silent Donatello.

The twins spoke up, "Last time Rexy messed up like this it was over a year before they made up, but it depends on the fight. What exactly happened?"

Donatello remained in shocked silence, so Leo began to attempt to explain the events of the previous night. The twins look from Donatello then to each other, "Well, she said she was in love with you. So, there's hope… right?"

The silence was broken by more falling debris.

"We can fix it", the twins smirked, and began to inspect the damage to the lair.

"Love life comes second right now", Mona spoke in a level tone. "We have nowhere to go and a debt to pay here. Not to mention three family members are detained by the Foot Clan which is currently mutating humans, trying to recreate Project Renaissance."

"What?!" Mikey chirped.

"They are also mutating animals, but they aren't having much of any success. Humans however seem to be surviving for longer." Rexy filled them in nonchalant sarcasm. "They have been operating on Neptune's turf in Japan. Several of his men have been killed, and you know how gently the yakuza clap back."

"So, no one is hunting us?" Raph grunted.

"Well, I am sure if they thought they could find you they would snatch you up, but you are far from the main target." Simone flicked open a panel on her forearm and began to fiddle with the pop up screen.

Splinter spoke up, "Now the path is clear. Emma was falsely accused." He looked sharply at Donatello who nodded numbly. Then, he gave a sigh, "The lot of you may stay, especially if you intend to assist in repairs."

"I am going to need access to your lab", Simone cast Don a sympathetic glance.

Donatello nodded, and began to lead the group into his lab. Rexy frowned glancing about them all. "You're sure that Emma didn't give you any hints as to her next step?"

Raph grunted, "She said something about mobilizing. Roxy said it was for the best that we weren't involved anymore. Whatever that means."

The women exchanged looks as the twins began putting the lab back together piece by piece. Simone glanced around as the screens flickered. Her eyes fell on the large turtle who offered the clue.

"It means she's mobilizing the family. She's taking up her father's throne so to speak. Which is good. We will need one hell of a force to contend with the Foot Clan on several fronts. She has access to the "right" people, and more than enough money to fund such a venture. She's certainly motivated. But very little of what she will have to do will be legal or gentle", Simone sighed.

"So, you think Emma is going to be a mob boss now?" Mikey laughed.

"Emma has been a recognized figure in the criminal world for years. Many have kept their "business" relatively legit out of respect to her wishes. Her father was a legend and she is very much her father's daughter. If she goes asking the right people and in the right way she could gather a force to destroy the Foot Clan. It's what we were here to convince her to do."

"So, Miss Simone, what would you recommend our next move to be?" Splinter intoned carefully.

"Stay out of the way, and see what she does. She will reach out to us eventually. The twins are her blood and they are brilliant in their own right. I am very good at what I do and so is Rexy. She will call us back when she's ready."

Leo hissed at moving with his wounds, "Sit and wait?"

"Something like that", Simone mumbled eyeing his stance. Moments later the leader in blue was having to shoo her away as she tried to exam his wounds which were in rather private areas. She only backed down when Donnie stepped up to take a look in his own room.

There was some semblance of peace for a few hours as they went about patching up the lair. I soft *ding* rang from the lab. It was followed by the twins excitedly clamoring out with a table held out to Rexy.

"We got an email!" Bash grinned.

Rexy skimmed it, and heaved a sigh. "Well, she's definitely got something big planned. She sent this too all of her uncles."

The blonde held out the screen for them to all see the four word message.

"Meet me in Timbuktu."

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 **Author's note-**

So, first thank you so much to EVERYONE who has reviewed, commented, followed, favorited, left kudos, etc! You mean the world to me, and the constructive reviews have been so helpful! I am so incredibly grateful, and I can't believe how many reviews this is getting. You are all wonderful!

 **This has now been put through it's paces by my darling Dragon!**

 **Reviews** are incredibly important to me because they are my only real way to gauge the audience. I welcome all feedback, so please let me know how I did! Thank you so much for reading!

Love,

Violet Blak


	14. Piece de Resistance

**I'm Listening**

 **Disclaimer:** Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon and its creators. I make no monetary profit from this work it is only for entertainment.

 **Author's Note: 2014 Movie-Verse -** Rated M for a reason! This work contains sexual content, violence, and at times dark themes that will become more developed as the story continues- you have been warned. Also, I have messed with the timetable the story is set in current time, but the guys are in their mid twenties- so the events of the movie would have happened around 2004.

 **Author's Note:** Thank you so much to those of you who have reached out while I was away- you keeping in touch was so the breath of fresh air I needed. My husband and I have been hustling! We have bought our first home, but it was an out of state and required a lot of work and research. Now, we are finally settled and totally in love with out new home. So, I am so sorry for the delay… but I have been up to so much fun stuff!

 _When it comes to art,_

 _It's important not to hide the madness._

 _~Atticus_

 **Chapter 14: Piece de Resistance**

Things had been strange ever since the new band of misfits took up residence in the lair. Granted they were actually useful, not just in the repairs, but also in the general running of their odd household. The new humans offered to regularly go on runs for food and supplies.

Rexy applied her skills by helping them switch up and spruce up their gear. Granted, she didn't ask permission to do so. They simply found their gear replaced or mended. When she was discovered to be their little weapon fairy she became bolder and took their measurements to fit them for clothes. It was a nice gesture even if it was a little forceful- Rexy proved to be neither shy nor gentle. Mikey jumped on the bandwagon for new duds. The youngest brother followed the devious blonde around like a sidekick, constantly enthralled by her unpredictable behavior. In return Rexy doted on the youngest, but still barely acknowledged that the gifts were her own work, and took up the excuse that Mikey just needed help. They also began a series of pranks on the other household members.

Mona took a different approach. Mona became something of a lair manager. She cleaned, made shopping lists, chore wheels, and took on several project Don had started or given up to make life in the lair better. When she received resistance from Raphael or Leo she took to lecturing them in high speed commanding spanish which oddly did the trick every time. For the most part Mona was quiet, and liked to be busy. She was always on a electronic device or making notes; never letting her hands be still. She was eager to also keep checks on their health. Raph in particular didn't take kindly to the poking and prodding.

A low growl sounded through the main rooms as the two squared off. Raphael glared at the petite woman who stood with a large syringe. "Who the hell do you think you are?" He grunted.

Mona lifted a brow, "I want to assess your physical state to help establish a baseline of markers."

"Why?!"

"There may be survivors. I know there have been a dozen subjects who were intended to be copies of you and your brothers, young mutant turtles, but whatever formula they used on you was not available, and the reproduction of that formula has not worked. I have seen footage of several of them dying. I don't want to save them from the Foot Clan just to give them a few good days. I intend to figure out what allowed you to grow into healthy adults, so that these children can grow up too." Mona spoke in a sharp but steady tone.

"There are little turtles?" Raph's expression dropped.

"Yes, they started with twelve, but they maybe have five left now. All this work that we will do in the next few weeks and months is nothing to me if we shut down the Foot Clan, but these children are still lost."

"You saw them?" He frowned trying to digest the information as he offered up his arm for her sampling.

"I have seen footage of them, but I know one of the human subjects has survived...but his story is a little strange. He has been keeping me up to date and trying to keep them alive from the inside." Mona spoke quietly while she worked.

Raphael obediently made a fist to encourage a faster flow of blood. Mona took a few vials, and once they were arranged she crossed the kitchen to retrieve a box of cookies. Raph rolled his eyes before accepting the sugar cookie piled high with frosting. Mona took one, but looked at it with a sad smile balancing the pastry between her delicate fingers.

"What?" Raph rumbled around his mouthful of cookie.

Mona looked up from her daze, but her expression was still unusually soft. She blinked her hazel green eyes, and dark lashes fanned over her cheeks. A sardonic smile played on her heart shaped mouth, "Sweets always make me miss Roxy."

Raph gave a snort, "That's the truth."

"She will be one of the hardest to bring back. She's small, but she has such a temper and can hold a grudge with the best of them," Mona sighed before taking a bite.

Raphael barked out with laughter, "Did you ever hear about the night we met her?"

Mona shook her head and listened intently as Raph did his best to retell her the events that led to knife throwing and mild electrocution at the hands of little Roxy. Raph got a few laughs out of the steel mannered Mona.

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Donnie was trying to stick to his normal patterns. There were things to be done while they waited for more information to come in. Or at least that was what he told himself. From the first moments when realization hit that he had falsely accused Emma he felt his blood run cold. From that moment on he felt numb. He remained in motion setting about a way to "fix it", but everything seemed to have a slight delay; like the cheap and poorly dubbed martial arts movies he would drag out of the dump for his brothers when they were little. Everything just felt off.

Rexy was an baffling character. He wanted to write her off as his enemy and the source of this horrible moment in his life, but he knew better. Each interaction with the blonde bombshell revealed a different layer of her. On the surface, she was a brash and bold creature, but through observation he caught on to the subtle hints of her heart. She doted on Mikey in obvious ways. She hugged him constantly, and spoiled him with stories about the girls' adventures while away at school. She also played kitchen assistant to Mikey. Even though she was never actually asked to lift a finger she could be found doing the dishes or any chore that Mona didn't get to.

Over the past couple of days, he had focused on repairs with his brothers and with the help of the twins it had been quick work. Rexy had been quietly working on something of an apology through the clothes. When she knocked on his bedroom door he was surprised to find her holding a pair of trousers. They didn't actually say much to each other, but he tried them on, and she placed pins here and there. He burned with a dozen questions for her, but he could never work up the gumption in the short bursts he saw her.

So, he observed her. When Rexy put her foot in her mouth her comrades would offer up explanations. It gave him bread crumbs. Rexy's real name was Roksana Eva Ximena. She was from a Russian family that ended up in Paris due to her mother's success as opera singer. Mona had taken the time to explain that Rexy and her mother had a terrible relationship spurred by her mother's bipolar disorder. Rexy had not known a happy home until she was absorbed into the Dalton clan. It was eye opening and explained why she seemed to communicate through brief actions rather than words. All of their new attire could speak to that.

Leo was less interested in getting to know Rexy in particular. Her blade had in fact broken into his shell, and due to the poison she kept on said blade he was healing slowly with the irritation of an infection. He did attempt to make nice with the others, though he was also having a hard time getting used to Lex.

Now, Lex was brilliant. He and his brother worked together in a way that could only be explained by them being twins. They often spoke in half sentences forgetting the beginning or ending because the other was on the same line of thought. Bash was a very level tempered young man with a clever sense of humor. Lex on the other hand was a peculiar figure. Lex was thin and sinewy, but he often curled into himself. On further inspection Lex's tattoos, or the vast majority of them, were actually of the anatomy underneath. He was like a walking copy of Grey's Anatomy. Muscles and bone drawn out and labeled in incredible detail. Lex was not shy to explain that his body art helped ground him. Lex suffered from serious anxiety and depression from a very early age.

Ironically, this had nothing to do with his family life. Lex's brain simply didn't produce the right chemicals at the right time, and the older he got the more drastically and dangerously these necessary chemicals fell out of balance. Even with medicine to force this chemistry into healthy balance he was prone to self harm and passive suicidal thoughts. Donatello frowned recalling the casual almost mundane way that the thin engineer explained his mental illness. The tattoos had been his way of acting out against his urges and in his own way wearing his wounds with pride.

That might have been why Leo in particular seemed to have trouble with Lex. Leo was a traditional and stoic man. It was only natural that it would be off putting for him to be around Lex who wore his darkest and most uncomfortable secrets on his sleeve, literally. For the lanky twin his body art was a reminder that he was a living piece of art. He even took time to show the names of his family members intricately hidden among the art. When Lex had a bad day he could look at the dozens of names of people who loved him. His brother's name was on the back of his neck. His sister's name was over his heart. His parents here on his feet, and many more. There was no place unclaimed, unloved. It was a dark and twisty perspective, but not without charm.

Bash was the twin that confused him. It was bizarre to see someone who looked so much like Emma's father alive and doing normal things like eating cereal. He only knew the man through photos, but it was still so strange to see such a resemblance. Bash also had that spark, that thing that everyone mentioned about Emma's father. The man who built one of the largest criminal families in the country and then worked with the very government to exact his revenge. That took gusto and Bash had it. He had a way of smiling at someone and disarming them. April had fallen for it lock, stock, and barrel, and easily found herself expressing her worries to the young man.

Bash had also been the one to reach out to the purple banded brother. Maybe it was because he looked so much like Emma, or perhaps it was how willing he was to listen. That was how he found himself sitting across the kitchen table from Bash. It was around three in the morning, and Lex had fallen asleep after upgrading the security system. Don and Bash had stayed up to test it a few times. Once satisfied, Bash suggested a snack before bed. There was something about the way that he smiled that for a moment that delay went away. The crushing weight of what he did lifted, just a little.

"Why aren't you angry?" Don blurted out, snatching a beer from the fridge.

Bash lifted a brow, "Why, the new system is flawless?"

Don frowned, and plopped down at the table. He couldn't find the right words, so he just waited. Bash didn't disappoint. The young man took up a beer and that soft smile curved his lips upward. He twisted a chair around and plopped into it in front of the brooding reptile. Bash's deep voice rolled across the table to him, "Oh, you mean about everything else."

Don only nodded and leaned forward.

Bash rolled the neck of the bottle between his hands. "I am frustrated, but I know it could have been worse. Based on what you told me, I am frustrated with Emma."

Don lifted an eye ridge, "You are angry with Emma?"

"Well, yeah… you jumped the gun. I get that, but after getting to know you on top of the way Emma raved about you- I am not surprised. You are smart, but you do best when you have all the information. When you don't you get weird and freak out. Lex is the king of that, so I see how you got to that metaphorical cliff. That's where Emma left you in the cold. She could have stopped this the moment she got away from Rexy that day, hell that hour. She could have gone to you. The question is why she didn't. Why did she hesitate? Why did she hide, even just for a day? That's not who she is. I am frustrated because like you I am left out in the cold while she holds most of the cards. I could make a guess about why Emma did what she did, but to be honest I would still be disappointed in her even if I am right."

Don took a large gulp of the cheap beer to distract himself from the sheer amount of information Bash had leveled off. Unfortunately, Bash wasn't done.

"I think Emma loved you so much that she was terrified and ashamed of what she was going to have to do. She was ashamed of who she is and who her family is."

Don snickered, "I always thought she would be ashamed of me."

Bash chuckled, "If you haven't noticed our family isn't easily shocked, and we roll with the punches. I think if given the chance she would have flown you to France for the holidays to meet the who damn clan. I get it. You are a good guy. Nice, kind, and thoughtful guy who is a brilliant scientist and a lethal martial artist. I know Emma, the mutant thing probably didn't even slow her down."

Don felt his cheeks burn and he laughed. He laughed so hard his cheeks hurt and his torso spasmed. He refused to actually tell Bash he was correct, but he couldn't wipe the grin from his face.

Bash only smirked, "I get why Emma was in love. When she would talk about you she liked that you came to your own conclusions, and that you weren't afraid to challenge her. That you were sarcastic and had an awkwardness that was endearing. Plus, once the initial reptile thing wears off I have to agree you're pretty cute."

Don choked a little on his beer the flush returning to his cheeks full force. Don stuttered a bit trying to find the right words, "Wait, you're...?"

Bash just chuckled with a nod, "Sorry, I should have mentioned- Emma and I have always had similar taste. Well, we do when she is looking at men anyway. But back to my point. Take it easy on yourself. We do crazy things when we are in love; especially in this family. Things will work out."

A sharp beep rang out from both Bash's phone and Don's wrist tech. Both sighed as the both read the message. Emma had checked onto a plane from Paris to Cairo. Lex was awake again and tracking it in the lab.

"Looks like she's literally going to Timbuktu", Don sighed.

"The bigger question is how many families has she gathered with her. But the middle of a desert is a good place to not be overheard." Bash toyed with his beer cap. "She must have a plan."

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 **Author's note-**

So, first thank you so much to EVERYONE who has reviewed, commented, followed, favorited, left kudos, etc! You mean the world to me, and the constructive reviews have been so helpful! I am so incredibly grateful, and I can't believe how many reviews this is getting. You are all wonderful!

 **This has now been put through it's paces by my darling Dragon!**

 **Reviews** are incredibly important to me because they are my only real way to gauge the audience. I welcome all feedback, so please let me know how I did! Thank you so much for reading!

Love,

Violet Blak


	15. Leader of the Pack

I'm Listening

 **Disclaimer** : Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon and its creators. I make no monetary profit from this work it is only for entertainment.

 **Author's Note** : 2014/16 Movie-Verse - Rated M for a reason! This work contains sexual content, violence, and at times dark themes that will become more developed as the story continues- you have been warned. Also, I have messed with the timetable the story is set in current time, but the guys are in their mid twenties- so the events of the movie would have happened around 2004.

 *****SPOILER WARNING***** The story line will begin meshing with the 2016 movie. You may have noticed the low key change in their clothes. I was starting to turn those wheels. There will be differences; I hope you like them!

 **Author's Note** : Yay! Another one done. I have had these half written for so long. It is so nice to finish them. I hope you enjoy the building tension ^.^

 _She slept with wolves without fear,_

 _For the wolves knew a lion was among them._

 _~R. M. Drake_

 **Chapter 15: Leader of the Pack**

The desert was a quiet place. It could be lonely on the surface, but for Emma it had always been a place full of people. A place full of adventure. Her mother always loved returning to these ancient places; she once told her that just being in the presence of them made her feel empowered. The brunette sorely needed her mother's advice these days. Her mother was practical and cunning, but she was not immune to the great feelings and understood when duty and love could go against one another. She swept her loose hair back and enjoyed the chill of the night on the sandy plane.

The first week away she had traveled from one uncle to another gathering information and trying to get a foothold on the sheer amount of intel needed for such an endeavor. It was a big problem. Donnie had tried to explain to her that the serum that mutated them was not from earth. At the time she was too busy grasping the bigger picture. It turns out that was the key though… She had to prepare for a war she understood, and brace for one she could barely fathom.

She understood war. Step one: know your enemy. That was straightforward. Emma grew up both at the heart of and on the fringe of some of the most important criminal families in the world. The concept of how they functioned, moved, grew was second nature to her. Step two was to get even more information. Her uncle who headed a yakuza family had already planted two successful moles in the Foot Clan, and they eagerly agreed to report to her. Step three weaken them. The foot clan may have failed at the attempt to create the cure they wanted years ago, but they had managed to continue to buy and invest in medical companies- likely since that is where they had made their original money in the early 2000s.

Emma owned several competitive companies. Which she placed against them head on. Dropping prices for product, and promotions constantly had done a number on the quarterly reports. So had her discussions with various families who agreed to make it harder for their distributors to make it through ports and onto planes. Suddenly, she had made all the money she gave away in promotion back since their competition was now unreliable and understocked. Anywhere she had a connection, legal or otherwise, she used it to hurt their bottom dollar. The tighter their budget the poorer outfitted they would be when she faced them head on.

Now, step four: pest. The Foot Clan had a history of being quick to over-respond to minimal threat. They don't take their time when they feel threatened. So, it was her job to draw them out and run them in circles until she could see every opening, and then she could go in for the kill. Step four: invasion. She was going to infiltrate every center of the Foot Clan, starting with New York.

That took some serious thought and talk. Several meetings with Hades got her some clearance she really shouldn't have in the harbors and bordering on the international waters of the United States Coast. So long as she got the job done with minimal civilian casualties she could operate, but if she crossed the line they would pull the plug and expose her; not to mention likely scapegoat her for whatever she couldn't solve. It was a risk she felt comfortable with.

A low whistle caught her attention, and her gaze found its source. Hercules. He stood in a cream cotton shirt and khakis with his dreads pulled into a thick bundle at the base of his neck. At the entrance of the main tent on the crest of dune bathed in moonlight he looked like some modern rebirth of an African deity… one who was concerned. He began to drudge his way down the sandy slope, his breath creating rich puffs of smoke. His hazel eyes burned, and for a moment she only thought of his daughter.

"Do you plan on talking about it?" He mumbled gruffly upon reaching her.

The brunette adjusted the wrap about her shoulders, and frowned at the sand his path had kicked over her shoes, nearly burying them. "Nope."

"Are you planning on sleeping?" He grumbled.

"I don't sleep much anymore", Emma focused to the incredible view of the stars about them.

"You're going back in the tent on your own or I will toss you over my shoulder. You pick." He grunted.

Emma gave a chuckle, "I thought I was the leader of the family now?!"

"I promise to bow and call you ma'am in front of others, now tent." He smiled but gave a sharp point to the tent for good measure.

Emma relented, and trudged up the slope with her watchful uncle in close pursuit.

"You need to sleep. We got all the votes. You have shit to do tomorrow", He lectured.

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"Guys! Guys!" Donnie yelled from the lab.

The twins arrived first, and whooped at the broadcast Don had on the main screen. Others filed in slowly as the reporter began to speak.

"We are still trying to make sense of the riots and violence tonight here in Boston. The shipping yard is closed to all and calm now, but this footage was captured from just an hour ago", the man cued to the crew.

The scene showed the massive Boston shipping yard in total chaos. Gun fire could be heard on the footage captured from the news helicopter. Explosions erupted amongst containers, and figures dressed in dark colors could be seen scrambling about. Suddenly, the helicopter was able to move closer despite someone aboard complaining loudly about the danger.

One figure broke from the line in a run with a large RPG on their shoulder and fired. The explosion roared through what was now visibly the opposing line of Foot Clan soldiers. Then, the camera panned all the way to the entrance of the shipping yard to the police who were unable to break through the barrier that had been erected between them and the shipyard. When the camera panned back, the figure stood and looked up under the spotlight of the helicopter. It was a woman in armor similar to Mona's, but it appeared even more streamlined and had a helmet. The visor was so dark there was no way to view the person inside, but it did have what looked like cat ears mounted on top of it making her stand out from the men who ran past her to crush the Foot Clan members they had been chasing.

The figure tossed the now empty RPG launcher down, and reached behind her for a shotgun. Her gloved hands pumped it, and she tossed her head back. Amid the chaos and roaring fire growing ever closer a melodic howl rang out. This behavior was then echoed by all of those with her who began to howl as they rained down gunfire on the surviving Foot Clan members. The woman turned towards her comrades and began to slowly walk into the smoke and violence obscured from view by the growing flames.

Leo had the sense to mute the broadcast at that point as silence engulfed the room. There was a definite split between his own grim expression and Donnie's, the rest of the room. Raph looked proud, Mikey and the twins looked like it was christmas morning, and Rexy and Mona were already nose deep in devices trying to find out more info.

"Was that Emma?" Mikey asked needing confirmation of his hopes.

"Oh yah! Momma's home!" Rexy purred.

"You say that like she would be happy to see you", Mona snorted.

"And she just so pleased with you?" Rexy snipped.

"Yes, she is." Mona said softly a smile breaking across her face. "Boys, we leave tonight."

"Really?" The twins seemed disappointed in unison.

"Not me though?" Rexy frowned.

Mona gave a sad smile and shook her head no.

Splinter chose to step in, "We could still use your help my dear."

Rexy chose to keep her mouth shut for once but gave a nod to the father figure. She lingered closer to the twins who threw an arm over each shoulder. It was a small piece of comfort. However, the line were shifting. Rexy was to be left out in the cold with the mutant brothers.

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Raphael spent the day watching the trio prepare to leave. Mona packed her small bag and calibrated her weapon. She also prepared a list for Rexy about the lair and projects to finish. The twins acted like parents leaving their child at school for the first time with Donnie. Trying to leave him every scrap of info and tech they could, which was nice. The footage of Emma had left Donnie silent. Silent Donnie was only good if he was reading. It was good they were distracting him for now.

Personally, the red banded mutant thought it was badass, but worry did strike his heart at the thought of Emma walking into a gunfight. She was back on U.S. soil though, and Boston was so close. They were finally done waiting. Soon she would bring the fight here, and when that happened they would find a way to help. Emma was certainly living up to all this talk about Banshee's being the harbinger of death and shit; howling to warn you of your death. It was the stuff of nightmares and the news was having a fit over it. He didn't care. He was just done with the hurry up and wait game.

He was sad to see the majority of the group leave. Mona was nice when she wasn't trying to shoot him. She was focused though, and quiet. He liked quiet. The twins were good fun. He would miss the prank war that had sparked between them. Lex especially was nice and chill. The guy was a little cryptic, but he was funny and unflinching. Bash was funny too, but it was weird to see a guy who looked so much like Emma's dad just wandering around.

They said their goodbyes, but the red banded brother lingered. He followed them for a while from a distance. Made sure that they made it to the surface as planned and blended into the evening crowd. He felt odd over the whole affair. He had never had to say goodbye to anyone before, and now it felt like he was doing it all the time.

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Elsewhere in the lair Donnie tried to ignore the blonde who had posted herself up in his lab. He was going to miss the twins. He had never had that kind of companionship before, and it had been nice. However, he was honestly looking forward to having the lab back to normal. Until she wandered in. She had a bag with her, and seemed to be very careful to set it down on a clean patch of table before she climbed up in a chair. He expected her to say something and perhaps explain the intrusion, but instead she chose to just stare at him as if daring him to speak first.

He was determined to not acknowledge her.

Finally she broke the silence, "I heard you talked to Bash. He said you are not a total idiot."

Don looked up with a frown one hand tensing over the worn leather of his chair arm, but his sarcasm won out, "Has anyone ever told you how charming you are?"

A smirk crawled over her full lips. Suddenly, she looked more like a cat with feathers still clinging to its mouth. In her smugness she eased the item out of the bag, and then shoved a small parcel into his hands. It was wrapped in parchment paper and tied with a string. He must have been taking too long because Rexy gave a huff, "It's a gift. You are going up against a family that is big, powerful, and tightly knit. Eventually, even I will get pulled back into it, and you guys will be on your own. You need to know who you will be interacting with. You know the whole know your enemy and shit."

Don blinked at her babbled explanation before she rolled her eyes and motioned for him open it. After a moment he recovered and peeled open the paper to find an external hard drive. Carefully, he plugged it into his test computer. It took a moment for the old software to load, but there it was. Gig after gig of family photos and videos. Cautiously, he clicked one labeled "Don't Worry".

The screen was filled with the face of Marcus Dalton. He smiled into the frame as he adjusted the focus to his liking. His rich voice rumbled out, "I am doing this because I may not make it to see my little girls when they settle down. Not that I don't want to. I just know how many people would love to shoot me", he began to laugh.

"Or perhaps they would want to do a lot more than shoot me. But to any future members of my crazy family. Don't worry. If we love you, then we love you. My friends are my brothers, so you will have to deal with them… and my actual brother. But! Don't worry about them. We are men. We will get along. It's the women in this family you have to worry about. They will do some crazy shit, and they're all pretty so we just ignore it till it's too late. Especially Gigi, that's the Godfather, so to speak", he shivered at whatever memory his mother-in-law had done to him.

Don chuckled at the animated man. Rexy's features softened and her pale blue eyes lingered over the man's face. Her voice was uncharacteristically soft, "He loved photography and one day somebody got him a camcorder. A few years before he died they got everything onto one format. He could see people so clearly and show it on film. He had a gift."

Donatello took in the woman before him. She was still smiling at the paused image. Her eyes were so light they were almost grey, and her hair fell in messy waves of blonde. Her smile was the curl of one side and a sigh. It was something hidden, another gift. Finally, those questions bubbled up.

"How did you become part of the Banshee Clan?" He murmured.

"She never told you?" Rexy lifted a brow.

"She told me you were high school sweethearts, but she didn't even tell me you were a woman." Don snickered.

Rexy laughed at this, "That is just Emma. She forgets details like that when she is in love." She glanced about the room for a moment before heaving a sigh, "We need booze for this conversation."

Donnie gave a snort, but moved toward the kitchen. He could hear her footsteps behind him as they moved down the stairs. He did not expect to find his brothers all waiting for them in the kitchen. A quick look at the scene told him Mikey had made something for dinner, and he had forgotten to eat … again.

"Well, what are you two up to?" Mikey cooed from his post over the dishes.

"Gather around boys, it's storytime", Rexy began dramatically before turning into the freezer to pull out a large bottle of vodka.

She set it on the table and rummage for glasses for a moment. Once all was settled they took up places around the table. Rexy poured out a few ounces for each of them before promptly tossing hers back.

"Emma and I met in high school. We went to a private academy in the Swiss Alps. We lived there and only went home for seasonal breaks. You had to have certain grades to apply, and it wasn't cheap. I was a scholarship kid. Emma was obviously not. She started late in the year, but you never would have known it. She was polite. She was smart. She liked to ride horses and read poetry. She was pretty. She was little miss perfect. And I hated her."

Rexy giggled at the memory, "I would try to be really obvious when I would cheat off of her. Pull her hair when she wasn't looking. When I would pass her in the hallway I would unzip her backpack so everything she had meticulously packed in it would fall out. If I passed her desk I would knock things over or swipe things. Finally, one day I snatched her notebook and she snapped. She yelled at me in the middle of class even though I thought I had been so stealthy. The teacher gave us both detention even though I gave her the notebook back."

"At the time, I expected to just go and sit. It was boring, but it would be fine. What I did not expect was for the teacher not to show up to supervise. So, when Emma came in and saw this she threw her bag down and tackled me."

"She tackled you?" Leo frowned.

"Yah, she kicked my ass. Tackled me to the ground and started to throw punches. I was so shocked I barely remembered to defend myself. But when I did she just fought harder. This girl had never had a hair out of place. She wore pink bunny ears for easter and made cookies for the class. How was I supposed to know she could legit box?!"

"We went after each other for twenty minutes before the teacher came in and broke us apart. She had to leave to get the principle though, and Emma barked at me. She was furious. I still don't remember what she was saying. 'What do you want?' Or maybe something like that? All I could see were her pretty eyes, and how much more I liked her hair messy. I don't know why, but I kissed her. What was more insane was that she kissed me back. That went on until the teacher separated us, again."

"Oh… so you two had a love hate thing from the start?" Mikey tried to follow the unconventional love story.

"Yes. Emma's Dad came to pick her up, and noticed we were holding hands. He asked if I had anywhere to go. That was when I went to the big family compound. It was odd and full of people, and even though no one was saying it- I kinda knew they were hiding something big. Emma's family just welcomed me in, and gave me a room while we were suspended. I have a feeling they also had something to do with my scholarship remaining in place even after that kind of violation. I already had a record with some petty theft and jacked cars- you know, stuff for giggles. So they should have kicked me out."

"After that I started going home with her and Roxy for the holidays, and then we broke up. But she and her family were clear I was always welcome. I was a natural born spy and slowly started working for various european companies and once even a country. But slowly my interest started falling into the criminal. The family made sure to keep me toward the lighter side of it. I was another wolf in the pack."

"That is not what I was expecting", Donnie murmured, savoring the cool liquid in his glass.

"I pride myself on obtaining that reaction", Rexy smirked, pouring another round. She raised her glass. "Tonight we drink because soon we will face Emma head on, and I can say personally- this might hurt a little."

Raphael chuckled and humored her along with Mikey in clinking their glasses. Rexy forced Leo's even though he had yet to drink. She reached out to Donnie offered, "For luck."

He nodded and clinked his glass to her's, "For luck."

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Author's note-

So, first thank you so much to EVERYONE who has reviewed, commented, followed, favorited, left kudos, etc! You mean the world to me, and the constructive reviews have been so helpful! I am so incredibly grateful, and I can't believe how many reviews this is getting. You are all wonderful!

 **Author's note Special Edition-**

I have made a little blog. It's just a simple little website, but it maybe fun to be able to connect with y'all a little more. There is a link on my profile page, so please check it out. Since I have been gone so long I shared some of what I have been doing and a few images of our new house in the mountains. Love y'all!

This has now been put through it's paces by my darling Dragon!

Reviews are incredibly important to me because they are my only real way to gauge the audience. I welcome all feedback, so please let me know how I did! Thank you so much for reading!

Love,

Violet Blak


	16. The Big Bad Wolf

I'm Listening

 **Disclaimer** : Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon and its creators. I make no monetary profit from this work it is only for entertainment.

 **Author's Note** : 2014/16 Movie-Verse - Rated M for a reason! This work contains sexual content, violence, and at times dark themes that will become more developed as the story continues- you have been warned. Also, I have messed with the timetable the story is set in current time, but the guys are in their mid twenties- so the events of the movie would have happened around 2004.

 *****SPOILER WARNING***** : The story line will begin meshing with the 2016 movie. You may have noticed the low key change in their clothes. I was starting to turn those wheels. This chapter we will be building some of those major bridges between what happened in the second movie and building it into this little story-verse. There will be differences; I hope you like them!

 _Now this is the law of the jungle - As old as time and as true as the sky_

 _And the wolf that shall keep it shall prosper, but the wolf that shall break it must die_

 _As the creeper that girdles the tree trunk the law runneth forward and back_

 _For the strength of the pack is the wolf and the strength of the wolf is pack_

 _~Rudyard Kipling_

 **Chapter 16: The Big Bad Wolf**

The past few days had been berserk. First, Casey and April had come running into the lair to let them know that there were plans to move Shredder. April had been scoping out Baxter Stockman, a scientist she had followed for years. Unfortunately, he was working with Shredder, and planned to break him out during the move. It had come across as a rather straight forward situation that they had to prevent.

It was not simple. The Foot Clan seemed to be out in full force from the provocation of the Banshee Clan attacks in other major cities. Then, just when they thought they had gotten through the fight… The Shredder was teleported away. Donnie sank against his desk. He was so tired, and the cool metal of the tabletop felt nice against his face.

How do you defend against teleportation?! He sure as hell didn't know. The Shredder wasn't gone for long though. He showed up to rob the planetarium. It took them a moment to figure it out, but he had stolen a piece of alien technology from a meteorite stored there. Something that could open a portal from who knows where for who knows what. There were three necessary pieces for the portal to work according to the email he managed to hack. It also told him Stockman already had one piece. So, now they had two out of three.

After some extraordinary tracking efforts on his part they were able to find the Shredder, or rather two of his newest minions. Minions who happened to be massive mutants. They got on a broiling flight on a crummy cargo plane, jumped from that plane to land on another, and then crashed somewhere in the Brazilian jungle. All that work! Dodging fire from a tank… who brings a tank?! Dropping over a waterfall, and being chased by a giant rhino and warthog.

All that for nothing. The enemy pair now known as Beebop and Rocksteady had gotten away with the last piece of alien technology. They were on another stuffy cargo plane to get home when they got a call from Rexy- who they had left back in the lair. She called with the great news that the Banshee Clan had intercepted the plane Beebop and Rocksteady were on, and taken control of it. He had lost the call, but it was good to know Shredder couldn't open the portal.

The brothers had struggled at every turn to act as a team. It was clear they needed help. He showered and slept for a few hours, but it was still weighed on his mind. So, here he was- thinking when he should be sleeping. He started when the door clicked. He jerked around to find Rexy. The blonde was in what she dubbed lazy clothes, and had a cup of tea in her hand. She eased up to him and set it down where he had just been resting his face.

"Drink it", She mumbled.

Donnie gave it a quick check, but accepted the herbal tea. He watched as she leaned against the desk facing him nearly eye to eye with him still seated.

"Beebop and Rocksteady were ours from the beginning. They have been members of the Banshee Clan for decades." Rexy murmured.

Donnie had just taken a sip of the scorching tea in time to hear her and promptly choked, so now spearmint was working its way into his sinuses. Rexy gave a snort of laughter, but continued. "They went missing several weeks ago along with the good Dr. Warren. We knew they had been test subjects. The Dr. is the one who is keeping the surviving little turtles alive, but we had not heard about the Bebop and Rocksteady yet."

"And you thought it would be best to wait till now to tell me this?" Donnie wheezed still trying to get the mint flavor out of his nose.

"I didn't know till you got back. Mikey mentioned their names. If the network is filling Emma in on everything then she probably knew about them. So, it was less of a confrontation, and more of her getting her men back. But the good news is, the portal can't be opened so long as Emma maintains control of the third piece." Rexy was really trying to be positive but her lack of experience as a moral cheerleader showed.

"Yeah, well it's great in hindsight", he grunted trying to take another sip.

"So, the guys seem pretty upset with each other…", she prodded in concern.

Don gave a sigh, "When we are fighting we don't work as well as a team. It didn't end well."

"I haven't actually seen you guys fighting- well except for us when we bombed our way in here." She snickered.

Donatello looked at his reflection in the darkened monitor before he spoke, "We disagree on the whole situation. Both on how we got here, and how to proceed when we find Emma."

"So, what do you wanna do?" She sighed, watching his shoulders tense.

"Raphael just wants to jump in and help her. Leo doesn't really want to help a crime family. We normally bring criminals to justice. Mikey just wants everyone to be friends again. And I want a time machine." He heaved out a breath.

"Emma is the head of an international crime family. There is no changing that now. The how and why may be more moral than that, but cut and dry there it is. If you are planning to sweep her off her feet again then you need to know she will have a duty to that family for the rest of her life now." Rexy offered gently.

"I know. I know crime is wrong. But I also know I love her. I doubted her and lost everything, so if she will listen to me then I know she is what I want… it's just not losing my brothers in the process." He babbled unaware of the smile curving Rexy's lips.

"Give it time. You will know when you see her. The hard part will be getting her alone." Rexy mumbled and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. It was a little awkward, but it was a heartfelt attempt to make the very tall turtle feel better.

To break the downward turn in the mood she gave him a little pat on the head, "Go to bed."

Don lifted an eye ridge, "Excuse me?"

She patted his head again with a broad smile, "Bed."

"No."

"Yes."

"I tried, it didn't work", Donnie sat back at his desk.

The tea did help settle his nerves, but he was now wide awake. He scrolled through the photos on the hard drive. He found many family snapshots, and a few artful landscapes. Rexy was right though. There were casual portraits. Each one appeared simple, but it caught each person in natural poses in elegant light. There was a photo of Roxy eating an ice cream cone. She was maybe ten years old in the image and sat on the lip of a large outdoor fountain in some European city. A comic book was sprawled across her lap and she was making a ridiculous face that told him she might have been trying to purr while eating the huge ice cream cone.

Another was of Emma. She looked to be a teenager; a little gangly and in a school uniform. She was sitting on a fence with some tome in her hands, and a massive horse next to her. Its head hung over her shoulder while she thumbed a page as if the quadruped was reading along with her. They were set against the background of the countryside leading up to the alps. It was a whimsical image.

There was a shot of her grandparents. It must have been when her grandfather was well because they were dancing. Her grandmother was an elegant woman and her partner was equally dashing. The movement was caught in the image of a spin. It also appeared as though they were flirting. The man's lips were caught in a smirk quirking his handlebar mustache. The old dame looked like she was daring him to follow through with whatever it was.

Next, he found a shot of Emma's mother, Vivian. She looked so much like Emma. She was sitting in front of a vanity applying perfume to her wrist. Her lips were painted red, but the rest of her make-up was subtle. Her hair was shoulder length and fell in curls and waves that outlined her face. She was dressed in a simple button down shirt made of some sapphire silk. She was looking at the man holding the camera through the mirror with eyes so dark blue they almost appeared purple. Her expression of calm curiosity was almost unnerving. It was probably just a normal day, but in that moment she looked like a gift left over from old hollywood.

Then, there was a shot of Rexy at a piano. He had taken it in black and white. Her pale hair was striking against the dark piano. Her eyes were closed, and she looked ethereal and serene. Her lips in the shape of whatever song she was singing gave the feeling of power.

He turned to her in question, but she beat him to it, "I used to play after dinner. I did it once, and after that it became a thing. I had to sing for my super so to speak."

"Your mother sang, right?" He asked trying to remember.

"Yes, an aptitude for music was the only nice thing she ever gave me." Rexy snorted.

Donnie skimmed through videos and found Emma's grandfather teaching her to ride a horse when she was barely old enough to get in the saddle. Another was of Roxy as a petite teenager playing with a garden snake she had rescued. He had been engrossed by videos of the girls' dance recitals. Both Roxy and Emma were talented, but possibly the most impressive was the whoops and hollers that came from their father and uncles who lost their minds each time their girls got on stage. You would have thought the rowdy men had been cheering for a winning touchdown.

Further exploration found touching videos of Gigi standing over the stove making Rexy dinner and telling stories of how she and Emma's grandfather had declared their love to each other when they were 5 and 10 years old respectively. Next, they found a hilarious video where Emma's father had been eagerly awaiting Emma's return from her first day of second grade. It was the first time he would not be walking her to or from school.

He had captured a tiny furious Emma come stomping through the door complaining about boys. Boys were terrible. Boys ruin everything. Boys are mean. Boys saw her playing with a stray kitten and threw it across the street. Her father managed to soothe her, and reminded her to defend herself when she needed to. Seeing a tiny Emma shadow box was forever sealed in his mind now. But then, just as everything was settled and the camera picked up the subtle mumblings of Emma's father making plans for those boys… a meow eked into the room. Then another, and there was a distinct shuffling in Emma's discarded backpack.

That video ended with Emma and her father both in frame. The camera must have been set on a counter or table. The pair played with the tiny grey kitten for a moment before making eye contact, "What should we tell mom?"

"Now, this is good research. That is Neptune. He is one of the most powerful yakuza leaders today. He is the one who never agreed to operate legally, and as such Emma only sees him on rare occasions as a safety protocol. He is silent most of the time, but he will probably hate you the most." Rexy opened another video.

Emma and Roxy were in high school and in their uniforms. They were stringing their bows and setting out arrows. Next to them stood an asian man who Rexy pointed out as Neptune refreshing his memory from the brief family explanation Emma had once given. He was giving them instruction for archery; very good instruction in fact. He watched them carefully, and allowed them to make mistakes before making adjustments. Both girls made decent shots, but he was turning them into bullseyes. He looked so proud. It was quiet compared to the other boisterous memories they had seen, but there was something in the way he patiently instructed them that spoke volumes.

"I remember this. Emma and Roxy were in archery for senior year. Neptune came in from Japan to give them a final look over. It was a big deal. Since he was, and still is, an open Yakuza leader he was not around much. It was for everyone's safety. We went to see him every couple of years for the big hanami festival, and he came over maybe once a year." Rexy murmured.

"You went to the cherry blossom festival?" Donnie asked, but grumped when Rexy stole the mouse to find the photos.

She scrolled through various images of family visits to Japan. The girls in pretty spring dresses in some and for one more formal occasion, brilliantly brocaded kimono. Emma stood with her hair in a french twist and wrapped in mint and pink silks, all things subtle and feminine, staring up at the night sky with her uncle Neptune smiling proudly. In the background Roxy could be seen in some brilliant green ensemble and shaking the flowers from her wild and curly bob. The great banshee himself was stretched out on his back in the grass for a nap.

"This is Hercules", Rexy snapped him out of the daze to open another video. "He is Mona's father. Her mother represented him as his defense lawyer for some European trial. He had killed a guy, but it was ruled self-defense. It helped that the guy he killed was a known sex offender too. Her mother and him never had a romantic relationship, but they clearly had Mona. They did a good job though. They never fight. If they didn't live on different continents you would think it was a healthy marriage."

"So, where does he normally reside?" Donnie asked still itching for control of his own mouse.

"He has made a nice living on the coast of South Africa. He does those tours to go see great white sharks, and he has a few boats. He does well, but he also has a little side venture that he doesn't like to talk to authorities about." Rexy taunted.

Donnie gave an exasperated motion for her to continue. A wicked smirk curled her features, "Well, he has a sense of humor. A lot like Emma's father to be honest. He has a little set-up going on. When one of his old buddies calls him up and either needs some information out of someone or perhaps needs to dispose of a person Hercules has a good time. Especially if that person in question was violent towards women. Hee straps them to a boogy board, and once they are out where he knows the sharks are he throws them overboard and tows them behind the boat. Either they tell him what he needs or they get eaten. It's actually a pretty good show… you know the sharks do that thing where they jump out of the water there, right?"

Donnie looked shocked and a touch horrified, so Rexy gave a cough, "I mean it's terrible. A cruel way to die." She snickered to herself about Jaws music before selecting the video.

The frame opened to see a little Emma and Roxy who were maybe 10 years old seated at an elaborate tea party. A very tiny Mona was snuggled into Emma's lap who was braiding her hair. The girls were decked out in hats and feather boas, and someone had done their makeup. Yet alone with them was Hercules. The muscular black man was seated amongst all the finery in shorts and a T-shirt. He played along, delicately drinking the tea and nibbling the tea cakes and tiny sandwiches.

He had pulled his thick dreadlocks into a low ponytail, but the girls decided he needed more, and went about bedecking him in a boa as well. He politely turned down the strawberry lipgloss, but agreed to let them paint his nails. It went on for a good while before they turned on Emma's father who had to stop filming to participate. Donnie sighed… that was a man who fed people to sharks for kicks.

Afterward, Donnie managed to take back control of the computer. He skimmed a mention of Hades and eagerly clicked it. This was the most mysterious member of the family. Hades was the one Emma had said she looked up to most. He was always ahead of the curve and almost always kept his hands clean. The video was of Hades quizzing Emma for an exam in a law course.

Emma's father made joking commentary on the amount of latin and odd mannerisms. Hades walked her through scenarios. Emma had to determine who would be responsible in court. The man had a dry sense of humor and kept a cigarette lit at all times. Unlike all the other "uncles" this man was clean shaven, and only offered the mildest of smiles.

"Are there any of her actual uncle by blood?" Don frowned skimming the list again.

"Nope, only photos. Ares is hard to pin down, and very camera shy." Rexy sighed.

"This looks interesting", he murmured selecting a video titled bedtime story.

The frame opened on Emma sitting in bed. She could not have been more than 3 or 4. She was tiny and her hair was kept in a bob of curls with neatly cropped bangs. She was sitting on a bed with green sheets and a velvety looking unicorn blanket. The camera panned to show a man with light brown hair and fair skin. He was a brute of a man, but he was doing his best to make himself comfortable on the lilac child-sized chair before the bed. He began to read a fairytale. It was a bit hard to understand due to his accent.

"Is he Russian too?" The purple banded brother paused the video.

"No, that is Hephaestus. He is Romanian, but it is close. _I_ am Russian, try to keep it straight. He doted on all the children, apparently. He lost his wife and child to a car accident, so he lived for this kind of crap. But don't let his soft side fool you. He is one of the premier weapons and armor developers in the world. He operates solely on who he wants to build for." Rexy offered.

The video continued, but Emma only grew restless. Her arms crossed, and after her uncle proudly finished the tale she turned to her father to whine, "But I don't understand!"

"What part don't you understand, little bit?" The uncle asked, trying to soothe her.

"Why did they kill the dragon!?" She demanded curling her chubby fingers into tiny fists.

"Well, the dragon stole the princess. They had to save her", her father's voice rumbled from behind the camera.

"But the dragon didn't hurt her. The village only thought that the dragon was going to eat her. It never did anything mean!" Emma wasn't having it.

"Well, why would he have stolen her then?" Her uncle asked- clearly willing to go down the rabbit hole of a four year old's thinking.

Emma didn't disappoint. She scooted out of bed and wandered to her pink bookshelf and began to pull off books. All apparently about dragons or involving dragons. "I think the dragon was lonely. These say dragons keep lots of stuff, but they don't have any other dragons. Cousin Dina is a hoarder and Daddy says it's cause she is lonely and sad… maybe the dragon is too."

At this the men offered up congratulations on her theory, but couldn't contain their laughter. Her uncle tucked her back into bed and patted her head affectionately, "Well, if you ever find a dragon you will know exactly how to handle it."

Emma snuggled into her pillow squishing her chubby cheeks with a determined look, "Uh huh."

The video ended with the men creeping out of the room and chuckling about how they needed to find some books that were nice to dragons.

Donatello felt his chest seize and fought to breathe through it. How the hell did he get here? There she was a tiny little rebel who wanted to protect the dragons. Here he was trying to piece together some way to remind her of that very spirit the next time opportunity struck.

"You ok?" Rexy placed a hand on his shoulder.

He nodded, but was surprised when she leaned in close. She stood just to his shoulder, and leaned over his shell to wrap her arms around his neck. She smelled like marmalade this close. One hand simply locked in a fist, but kept her pulled tightly to him while the other smoothed over the top of his scaled head. "We'll get her back."

The pair spent the rest of that morning watching the short videos.

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Author's note-

So, first thank you so much to EVERYONE who has reviewed, commented, followed, favorited, left kudos, etc! You mean the world to me, and the constructive reviews have been so helpful! I am so incredibly grateful, and I can't believe how many reviews this is getting. You are all wonderful!

This has now been put through it's paces by my darling Dragon!

Reviews are incredibly important to me because they are my only real way to gauge the audience. I welcome all feedback, so please let me know how I did! Thank you so much for reading!

Love,

Violet Blak


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